All the King's Men
by Perse
Summary: The Weasleys face the possibility of a terrible loss. Two months later, a miracle seems to have occurred. But there are more questions than answers, and much damage to be undone as a shattered family tries to put itself back together. (WIP-Chapter 7 up)
1. Lost and Found

Title: All the King's Men

Author: Perse

Rating: PG-13

Category: drama

Summary: The Weasleys face the possibility of a terrible loss. Two months later, a miracle seems to have occurred. But there are more questions than answers, and much damage to be undone as a shattered family tries to put itself back together.

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of _Harry Potter_ do not belong to me. I make no money from this story. Please don't sue.

Author's Note: I love the Weasley family, but I find Percy's character especially interesting because he never really seemed to fit in. This story started with a vague idea of finding some way to get Percy reunited with his family after OotP; then it took on a life of its own. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Lost and Found

...............

"He's alive?" There was a combination of fear and hope in the question.

"Remus didn't say anything about his condition. But he's at St. Mungo's...they wouldn't have taken him there if they couldn't help him. Come on, Molly."

"What about the children?"

"I'll stay with them, Molly," a grizzled voice piped in. "Don't worry."

Instead of looking comforted, Molly Weasley looked more worried as she glanced uneasily between Mundungus and her husband. She was torn between going to the child she had nearly lost and staying with the young ones she still felt the strong need to protect. And she would have preferred almost any other Order member to Mundungus.

Arthur stepped back to her side. "They'll be fine; they're perfectly safe here."

It took a few minutes more, but soon she was following Arthur out the door of number 12 Grimmauld place, whispering cautions and instructions back. As they disappeared and Mundungus drifted back towards the kitchen, an unnoticed red head popped out from behind the banister and disappeared up the stairs.

A few seconds later Ginny Weasley had crept into the room her brother shared with Harry Potter. She quietly shut the door behind her and went straight to Ron's bed. "Ron? Ron! Wake up!"

He groaned, waved a hand at her as if he were swatting at a fly, and rolled away from her.

She pressed her lips together in frustration, then smacked him hard on the shoulder.

He came awake with a surprised, "Ow!"

A few feet away Harry abruptly shot upright, wand in hand. He must have been sleeping with it under his pillow. Being as he wasn't fully awake and was just pointing it rather shakily in their direction, Ginny felt it prudent to get out of the line of fire. "It's just me!" she hissed as she hit the floor.

"Ginny?" Harry asked. He whispered a soft "Lumos" to light the room before lowering his wand with a relieved sigh. He dropped back against his pillows, trying to calm his breathing.

Meanwhile, Ron had sat up and was rubbing at his shoulder. "What the bloody hell did you think you were doing?"

Ginny climbed back up onto Ron's bed. In retrospect, it probably would have been better not to frighten two boys who faced death eaters and Voldemort on a semi-regular basis. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry, Harry."

"It's all right," he responded, having recovered somewhat and sitting up to join the conversation.

It wasn't all right, but she had been too caught up in what was happening to stop and think.

Ron, however, was not so inclined to let it go. "Why are you creeping around in here in the middle of the night, hitting me..."

He probably would have kept going, but Ginny cut him off. "They found him."

Ron stopped in mid-sentence, mouth hanging open. "What did you say?" he asked dumbly.

"They found him. Remus called...Mum and Dad just left."

Ron looked shell-shocked. Harry suddenly seemed much more alert, scooting forward to the edge of his bed with an intense look on his face. "Is he..."

"I don't know. He's at St. Mungo's; that's where they're going." She paused, trying to keep her voice steady. "I don't know how he is."

................

The red-haired man found that he had to be more careful at this hour of the night. Though there were less witnesses, there were also no shoppers to blend in with. Only a few people were on the street at all. He made doubly sure that none of those few were watching him before he approached the window of Purge and Dowse Ltd.

A few minutes later, after a short stop at the Inquiries desk, he headed for the 4th floor. He took the stairs at a jog, 2 or 3 at a time. He was gasping for air by the time he reached the ward, but he didn't stop or even slow down until he spotted Remus Lupin near a curtained-off area.

"Remus," he called.

Lupin turned around. "Bill," he returned, tone mixing relief and anxiety. As Bill made a beeline for the curtained area, he hurried to place himself between Bill and it.

Bill didn't wait for him to speak. "How is he?"

Remus hesitated. "Perhaps you should wait for your parents. They'll be here soon."

What he wasn't saying spoke volumes. Bill felt his heart plummet into his stomach. "He's...he's not..."

"No, no. He's alive. He's conscious. But..." he trailed off, seeming not to know how to deliver this news, whatever it was.

Bill stared at him for a moment, then pushed past him.

The healer moved to intercept him, but appeared to rethink it. It could have been the determined look on his face, but more likely it was because she easily recognized the family resemblance.

He pulled the curtain aside and stepped in, letting it fall shut behind him.

He was sitting up. He was pale and had a few bruises on his face, but he actually looked pretty good, all things considered. He didn't look up, as he was playing with something in his hands. Bill stepped a bit closer and realized that it was his glasses.

"Percy?"

The younger man looked up and squinted at him. It took him a moment to figure out the problem before he fumbled with the glasses and placed them back onto his face. But when he looked up at him again, it was with no more recognition than he'd shown before. "Yes?" he confirmed, as proper as if he were speaking to a complete stranger.

Bill had an urge to grab him, shake him for scaring them, and then hug him tightly and never let go. But he held back, sensing that something was off. Percy had pulled formalities with him before, but this seemed an odd time to be doing so.

He took a cautious seat on the side of the bed. "How are you?" he asked ambiguously, though he was unable to keep the concern from his voice.

Percy shrugged, seeming uncomfortable. "Okay," he replied, entirely unhelpfully.

With a sigh, Bill launched into deeper waters. "Percy, I know we've all had our issues in the past, but...please, don't shut us out now."

Percy's expression took on a pained hint. "I'm sorry," he said, voice breaking slightly. "But I don't—"

Bill moved closer, thinking perhaps he had broken through Percy's usual wall. He placed a soothing hand on Percy's knee. "It's okay. Everything will be all right."

"No!" Percy flinched away from his touch, seeming more agitated by the second. "You don't understand—I don't know you!"

Well, that stung a bit. Sure, they weren't as close as they probably should be, but he was still the big brother here. Bill told himself to remain calm as he said, "I know we haven't been close for a few years now. But we were once, Perce. I'm sure you've been through hell, but..."

"No! That's not—" Percy gripped his bed sheet in frustration. "I don't know who you are! I can't remember you!"

Bill stared at him for a few seconds, not really processing it. "What?" he asked dumbly.

"He seems to have lost his memory." Bill spun to face the voice. The healer had stepped inside the curtain, but hung back as the brothers interacted. She stepped forward now, and offered a hand to Bill in introduction. "I assume you're one of Arthur's sons?"

"Bill," he acknowledged, then added, "big brother of the brood," as he was accustomed to doing with anyone who knew of his large family.

She nodded with a smile, then addressed her patient. "Did you catch that Percy? This is your brother, Bill."

Bill looked back to his brother, who had a frustrated, lost look on his face. He still showed absolutely no sign of recognition, but he studied Bill's face intently. It was as if he was trying to memorize the face. "You really don't know who I am," Bill stated softly.

"I don't even know who _I_ am," Percy responded in kind.

It took a few seconds for the shock to pass. Then, with a bit of effort, Bill gathered himself and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Percy. As she pointed out, I'm your big brother, Bill."

Percy stared at his hand, then his face, then hesitantly stuck his own hand in his brother's. The hand was limp, his grip almost nonexistent, though his fingers twitched as if he were trying. The implications of that were not lost on Bill, but he tried to school his face such that his powerful emotions would not frighten his already scared little brother.

There was an awkward silence, though Percy didn't seem to notice it. He no longer seemed agitated by Bill's presence; instead he seemed a bit relieved. He was still confused, but apparently the knowledge that this was his brother had given him something concrete to latch onto. After a few minutes of studying him, he asked in a small voice, "Do you know what happened to me?"

Bill opened his mouth, shut it again, and thought about how much to say before he answered. "You've been missing for over 2 months. We've been terribly worried about you," he confided.

"I can't remember...anything..."

Bill reached to comfort him before he could think better of it. He replaced the hand on his knee, and Percy flinched but did not pull away this time. "It's okay. We'll figure it out, all right?"

After a moment, Percy nodded hesitantly.

Bill turned back to the Healer. "Aside from the memory, how is he?"

She glanced at Percy, then suggested, "Why don't we step outside and talk?"

Bill stiffened a bit, then decided that it probably would only make Percy uncomfortable to hear them discuss his injuries. But Percy reached for Bill's hand before he could move away. He still couldn't manage a grip, but he did hook his fingers slightly around his brother's. "No! I mean...please don't go," he finished softly, fear in his eyes.

Bill met his brother's eyes and felt his heart break. This was completely uncharacteristic for Percy. Even as a child, he had rarely showed this kind of need. And he didn't even _know_ Bill now. He only knew that this man was his only connection to his own identity. Bill took a moment to sit back down and say softly, "It's okay, Perce. I'll be just outside the curtain, and I'll be right back. I promise."

Still looking unsure but now a little embarrassed about his reaction, Percy released him and took to looking down. Bill stood and looked down at the bowed head. He felt a brief stab of the pure fear he'd been fighting all summer as he wondered what had happened to his brother and how his family would ever deal with this situation. Fighting it back, he reached to ruffle the normally neat red hair. Percy glanced up at him, a slight smile playing his lips in response to the sign of affection.

Bill returned the smile. "Try to rest, all right?" he coaxed, then turned and went to join the Healer and Lupin outside the curtain.

"Do we have any idea what happened to him?" he asked them both in a quiet tone.

The two exchanged a glance, then Remus responded first, giving him the short version of that night's events. "We had a tip on the location of some of the newer death eaters. A headquarters, of sorts. We went to try to apprehend them, but the house was abandoned. Empty, except for Percy. He was unconscious, tied to a chair in the basement. We were," he paused, glancing at Bill before continuing, "we were shocked to find that he was alive. He didn't regain consciousness until we got him here."

Bill processed that, brow furrowed, before he turned to the Healer. "What's going on with the amnesia? Is this some kind of spell or charm?"

She shook her head. "I thought so at first, but I really can't be sure yet. I can't tell you exactly what happened to him. Physically, he has some cuts and bruises over most of his body, in various stages of healing. There were a couple of cracked ribs. His nerves have suffered some damage, as I'm sure you noticed."

Bill nodded, jaw set in anger. "Suggesting that he was tortured," he concluded. He had expected it, but that didn't make hearing it any easier.

She nodded in confirmation, but added, "None of it is life-threatening. He'll heal. Physically, he should heal fairly quickly."

"And psychologically?"

"That's a much harder question," she admitted. "I can tell you that he's confused and frightened. But I can't gage the psychological effects of his ordeal, because he doesn't remember it. Of course, that could be a psychological effect in and of itself."

"Heh hem," a feminine voice interrupted them.

All three looked up to find that a woman had appeared in the previously blank portrait on the wall. The Healer excused herself and moved closer to hear her message, and Bill turned to Remus.

"This just doesn't make any sense. He's alive, he's fairly well...why would they just leave him behind?"

Remus met his eyes with a serious gaze and shook his head slightly to indicate that he didn't know. "We still have many questions to be answered."

They were interrupted as the Healer returned to their sides. "Arthur and Molly just arrived. They're on their way up."

Bill sighed. "Look, whatever you do, don't let my Mum and Dad see him without warning them first." Deciding that he had been gone long enough and wouldn't learn much more right now, he turned back to the curtain. "I'm going back in with him." He paused to visibly gather himself before he plastered an encouraging smile on his face and stepped back inside.

..............

"Are you sure they didn't say anything else?"

Ginny looked as if she was considering throttling her brother. "For the _fifth_ time, that's all I heard."

Harry glanced uneasily between the two siblings. They were taking turns pacing the bedroom. Ginny's cheeks were tinged pink with frustration. Ron, on the other hand, had gone rather disturbingly white.

Harry was unaccustomed to this position. He was usually in the thick of a crisis; not sitting on the sidelines as someone else experienced it. But since he had come here a month into summer vacation, he had been seeing things from the other side of the fence.

Things had been very tense around here. He was still grieving for Sirius, and being in this house had been very difficult for him at first. The four Weasleys residing here had walked a bit of a tightrope with him, trying to avoid upsetting him and be as supportive as they could. But they were also dealing with their own crisis. Percy's disappearance had taken a terrible toll, even before he'd arrived. At times, their attempts to be familial with Harry only seemed to increase the tension between them as they snapped at each other.

Around her brothers, Ginny had been consistently coming across as the voice of reason and peace. But the added stress of this night—of knowing that something had happened but not knowing what—was costing her some of her control. Harry knew she would hold her own in a shouting match, and that things might get ugly. But he half feared that Ron would collapse before they reached that point.

As his friend stalked past him, glaring in his sister's direction, Harry reached out and caught his arm. With only a little resistance he pulled him to sit beside him on the bed. "Let's take a breath, all right? They'll let us know as soon as they know something."

Ginny calmed herself a bit, but Ron was shaking his head almost convulsively. "No. No, not if he's dead. If he's dead, they'll wait as long as they can. If he's dead, they'll want to tell us in person. If he's dead..."

"Stop saying that!" Ginny snapped at him, eyes shimmering a bit.

Harry gripped his shoulder. "Breathe, Ron," he commanded.

Ron shrugged out of Harry's hold, but did as he said. As he shut his eyes and fell silent with deep shaky breaths, Harry's hand flopped uselessly to the bed. He knew from personal experience what it was like not to want comfort. But he'd never realized how difficult it was to be unable to give it to someone you cared for.

He observed Ron as his best friend slowly calmed down. To an outsider's view at least, Ron had never really seemed that close to Percy. In fact, the only Weasley who _had_ was Ginny. But Harry knew that there was love there, even when it wasn't readily visible. Harry had always envied the Weasleys their closeness, and he knew how painful the schism with Percy had been. But this...sometimes, Harry thought it was worse because it was Percy. Oh certainly it would have been an awful situation with any of the children, but the bad feelings between Percy and his family members seemed to make them feel the loss more deeply. They loved him despite everything, but their relationships with him had been in tatters before his disappearance. For the last two months they had worried that he might die without feeling that love.

Ron opened his eyes, though they were clouded with no less worry that they had been a few minutes before. Ginny swiped at her eyes, then came and dropped to a seat on her brother's other side. Ron slipped an arm around her, and she leaned her head against his shoulder.

Harry watched the two of them helplessly. He didn't know what was going to come of this, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand seeing the Weasley family shattered.

.................

tbc

Reviews are welcome!


	2. Reunion

All the King's Men

By Perse

Chapter 2: Reunion

...............

Arthur Weasley was trying to present a calm and collected front. Perhaps he should have realized that Molly knew him better than that, but pretending to be strong for his family's sake had become second nature lately. Internally, he was a wreck.

Arthur loved his son. The last two months had made him painfully aware of the depth of that love.

But he and Percy hadn't had a civil conversation in over a year. He wasn't sure what to expect from the boy now. That was assuming that Percy was in any state to talk to him. All he knew was that he couldn't wait to see that his son was safe.

He couldn't get to the fourth floor of St. Mungo's fast enough. Molly was matching him stride for stride, a tense silence hanging between them.

Remus was waiting for them at the entrance to the ward.

"Remus, where is he?" Molly asked breathlessly.

"He's alive; he's okay." He assured them, and let them soak it in for a moment before amending slightly, "He'll be okay. The Healer needs to speak with you before you see him, though."

Arthur would have questioned him further, but the Healer was quickly making her way to them. She looked very familiar, though at that moment he couldn't remember her name to save his life. "Arthur, Molly," she greeted them warmly. "Let's step into this office for a moment," she suggested, gesturing to a small nearby room.

"Shouldn't someone be with Percy?" Molly asked, a bit of panic evident in her tone.

"Bill's in with him, Molly. He got here a bit ago. And I'll be right out here," Remus said. "Go on," he coaxed, gesturing for them to follow her.

Somewhat reluctantly, they followed the Healer into the office and took seats in the chairs before the desk. "Can I get either of you a drink of water or anything?" she asked politely, obviously trying to put them at ease.

It didn't work. Arthur found Molly's hand and gripped it tightly. "No, thank you. Please, just tell us what's wrong with our son."

She studied them for a moment, then nodded. "Physically, there is evidence that he's been through some trauma. His nerves are damaged, enough to suggest repeated use of the Cruciatus curse. He has some bruising and cracked ribs, which tells me there was probably some physical beating. Nothing is too serious. He will heal."

Arthur tried to soak that in, knowing that he should be thankful for the lack of severity. He pushed his feelings about the torture aside, needing his mind clear in the here and now. He'd been dealing with the fear all summer; he'd deal with the reality later. Right now, he got the impression that there was something more she had yet to tell them. She had talked specifically about his _physical _state. "Was he...able to tell you about his ordeal?" Arthur ventured.

She met his eyes, and he dreaded her answer before she even spoke. "No," she acknowledged. "He can't tell us anything about it. He seems to have developed amnesia."

They both stared at her for a few beats, not quite grasping it. "He doesn't remember his abduction?" Molly questioned.

"No, but it's more than that. He didn't remember his name until we told him. His memories are completely blank."

Molly's grip on his hand had become tight enough to cut off circulation. "Is it..." Arthur paused, cleared his throat, and spoke again more clearly, "Is it some sort of memory charm?"

"I can't be sure yet," she admitted. "But I don't think so. There is such a thing as traumatic memory loss. We have seen the results of prolonged torture before. You know the Longbottoms, right?"

Arthur involuntarily cringed, and felt Molly do the same at his side. Still, he nodded for the Healer to continue.

"Percy's mind is not broken, at least not in that way. But it is entirely possible that he reached some sort of breaking point and his subconscious simply...blocked everything out."

"So...what do we do?"

"I need to keep him here for a bit. We'll let him heal physically and see if there is anything we can do for the memory. But if I'm right and it is all psychological, his memory will likely start to come back to him naturally. Probably in bits and pieces, as he's able to handle it." She paused, probably sensing how overwhelming this was for them. "But we can talk about that a bit later. Right now, I'm sure you'd like to see him."

"Yes, definitely," Molly said faintly.

They stood as she came around the desk to join them. Arthur hesitated, then asked, "He's not going to recognize us?"

"No, he's not. And, I should warn you...Percy seems to have latched onto his brother rather quickly. He needed a stable presence, someone who knew him and who he had concrete reason to trust. But beyond Bill, he's probably going to be a bit overwhelmed. Don't be alarmed if he doesn't respond that well to the rest of the family...or even to the two of you at first." She paused, watching them closely. Then she offered, "Would you like a few moments before you see him?"

Molly was shaking her head, but Arthur said, "Yes, just a moment please."

The Healer nodded. "Certainly." She stepped out, pulling the door shut behind her.

Arthur turned to his wife, who was looking rather displeased with him. "I want to see him, Arthur."

"I know, I know. I do, too. But just take a moment, Molly."

"I just want this nightmare to be over."

"So do I. And this is a miracle, but it's not over yet. Our son is not going to know us, Molly. We need to be ready for that."

But really, there was no way to be ready for that. They both learned that a few short minutes later when they followed the Healer behind the curtain.

Bill was seated beside him on the bed, having a soft conversation. Both boys looked up as they entered the area. At the sight of his wayward child, Arthur felt a powerful surge of emotion.

Percy merely looked at them blankly, if a bit apprehensively.

Arthur found himself not knowing what to do. Molly, however, went with the emotion she was feeling. With a barely suppressed sob, she went directly to the bed, arms outstretched. "Percy..." she whispered brokenly, reaching for him.

It was the wrong thing to do. Percy now looked alarmed and jumped skittishly to the side, into Bill. His brother wrapped an arm around him in response, whispering that it was all right.

Percy had never been very open to physical affection anyway. He hadn't been comfortable with Molly's smothering hugs in a long time. It should have been little surprise that he instinctively jumped away from strangers now. Nevertheless, it was heartbreaking.

If Molly had looked upset before, she was devastated now. She dropped her arms and stepped back, visibly trembling. Arthur stepped to her side and wrapped a supportive arm around her shoulders, eyes glued all the while to his sons.

He'd had a nightmare like this shortly after Percy had disappeared. Only in it, Percy had his memory. He had simply rejected his parents. Somehow, this was worse. Arthur suspected that was due to the fear now present in Percy's eyes.

"Percy," he called softly. He waited until Percy focused on him and held his gaze before he continued, "we didn't mean to frighten you. We're just...concerned. I'm your father, Arthur. This is your mother, Molly."

Looking a bit embarrassed though still quite uncomfortable, Percy pulled away from Bill. "I'm sorry," he offered softly.

"No, it was my fault," Molly put in shakily. "It's just...we've been so worried..."

She put a trembling hand to her mouth as a very awkward silence descended over them. Percy kept glancing at them as if hungry for the sight of them, but as soon as he met their eyes he looked away.

Bill cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Percy and I were just talking about you two."

"Bill says that we work together," Percy spoke up tentatively, looking up at Arthur.

Arthur glanced at Bill over Percy's head. His eldest shrugged as if to say, 'It's sort of true.' Arthur looked back to Percy, forcing a smile. "Yes, we do. We work for the Ministry of Magic."

Percy nodded as though he knew what he was talking about. But Arthur suspected that while he might remember what the Ministry was, he had no memories of working there...and no clue that the job was at the center of their conflict.

In fact...he had no way of knowing that there _was_ any conflict.

And Arthur had a moment of realization. As hard as this was, as painful as it was to see Percy so lost...they were being offered a blank slate. A second chance with the son who had drifted so far that they had feared they would never get him back.

Bill was looking at him in a way that suggested he had already thought of that. As if to demonstrate, he reached to briefly rub Percy's back in comfort. And not only did Percy allow it, he actually leaned into it, smiling briefly at his brother before looking back to their parents.

Encouraged by the comfort level Bill had established, Molly tentatively pulled away from Arthur and stepped a bit closer to the bed. "Has Bill told you anything about home and the rest of the family?"

Percy visibly tensed.

"We haven't really gotten that far yet," Bill answered for him as Arthur shot a questioning look in the Healer's direction.

She came closer and spoke softly, such that the others would not overhear. "It should be a very familiar subject, but it isn't at all familiar to him. That frightens him. And he seems to get agitated when frightened."

That made sense. A few moments later, Arthur was wishing fervently that Molly had heard it.

She was still inching closer, trying to connect with her child. "Your brothers and sister have been very worried about you, too."

Percy shook his head, clearly frustrated. "I don't remember them."

"I know, I know," she soothed. "But it will come back to you. I just want you to know that they love you and will want to see you soon."

Instead of comforting him, that seemed to agitate Percy further. "I won't know them," he stuttered. He closed his eyes and scrunched up his face in a way that suggested he was getting a headache. "There's so much...I don't know if I can keep everything straight!"

Arthur stepped closer, deciding to intervene. "That's okay," he soothed. "You don't have to—"

"But I should! They'll know me, better than _I_ know me, just like all of you! And I won't know _anything_..." he trailed off, even more frustrated because he couldn't explain himself well. His breathing was quick and shallow, his knuckles white from the tight grip he had on the sheet. The Healer had stepped forward and Bill had shifted closer in alarm. Arthur wondered if this was some form of panic attack.

Molly backed away. The Healer took her place and reached to take his pulse, talking to him softly and telling him to calm down. Bill moved to rub his brother's back again, trying to help.

Slowly but surely his breathing returned to normal, and then Percy was left once more looking embarrassed by his reaction. "Sorry," he mumbled softly.

"Well," Arthur finally broke in to the ensuing silence, then offered awkwardly, "is there anything we can do for you? Anything you'd like to ask us?"

Percy looked down again, obviously still out of sorts. "I'm really rather tired right now," he responded faintly.

Observing this, the Healer spoke up. "Percy has had rather a long night. Perhaps we could let him rest, and you could come back a bit later."

At once reluctant to leave him and desperate to get away from the painful awkwardness, Arthur looked to Molly. She looked upset, but nodded nevertheless and had schooled her face before she turned back to Percy. Arthur said, "We should probably get back to the rest of the family. They need to know that you're all right."

Very cautiously, Molly began moving closer to him again. She waited until Percy had caught her meaning and nodded a slightly fearful assent, then she hugged him gently. He was stiff, but he managed to bring his arms around her as well. She let him go fairly quickly, and he managed a slight smile as she pulled away.

Arthur decided not to push things. He kept his distance, though he did offer his son a comforting smile. "We'll be back soon, okay? We're glad you're all right."

Percy didn't say anything, but Arthur took comfort in the fact that the fear was gone from his face for the moment. It quickly returned, however, when Bill stood. He looked up at his older brother in a way that Arthur hadn't seen since Percy was five. It was a fearful, 'protect me from the world' look. It made Arthur want to grab him, take him someplace safe, and never leave him alone again.

It probably had a similar effect on Bill. Arthur watched as his eldest son reassured his brother that he would be right back, before stepping around the bed to them. He and Molly managed to keep smiles on their faces as they said goodbye and then stepped out of the curtain.

Outside, both of their smiles collapsed. Remus came to meet them as Bill hugged his mother.

"I'll stay," Bill said simply. It clearly wasn't up for debate in his mind.

"As will I," Lupin put in.

"Remus, you look exhausted," Molly protested.

"I'm fine, Molly. I'll stay until someone can relieve me."

Arthur was simply nodding his thanks. He had expected that Remus would stay, and that after that there would need to be an Order member here at all times to stand guard. It still might not be safe. But as a father, he felt better at the moment knowing that Bill would be close by as well.

Bill went back to his brother. After a talk with Remus, made brief because of the very little information he could provide them, Arthur and Molly summoned their strength and headed out of St. Mungo's. They had other children to attend to.

................

tbc

Next chapter: Molly and Arthur talk to the rest of their children, and a flashback to the initial news of Percy's disappearance.

Reviews are still welcome!


	3. Family Meetings

All the King's Men

By Perse

Chapter 3: Family Meetings

...............

"Ow! Would you watch where you're going?"

"And how exactly would I do that?" George Weasley hissed back at his twin. It was pitch black with the clouds and early morning fog hiding the moon. They had apparated to Grimmauld Place only a few minutes before, and his eyes hadn't adjusted yet. He expected that there were worse things he could have run into than Fred, no matter how bad his brother's current mood was.

They made their way to Number 12 with only a few more bumps and bruises. But as soon as they crossed the threshold, George ran into something else. One would really think someone would have moved that umbrella stand by now. But, no. It crashed to the floor, the sound deafening in the near-silent house.

They both winced and held their breaths.

But the expected explosion didn't come. Tentatively they looked towards the wall before sharing a sigh of relief. "Looks like somebody finally got rid of Mrs. Black," Fred mused. Then he turned on George. "When did you become such a klutz?"

Huffing indignantly, George ignored the question and pushed past him, walking deeper into the house. Fred followed with a smirk that George could sense even without seeing it.

They heard footsteps scurrying down the stairs and went to meet them. It was their little brother and sister, Harry Potter in tow.

Ron stopped short a few feet from the base of the stairs when he caught sight of them. "Oh. It's just you."

"Well it's good to see you too, baby brother."

"We thought you were Mum and Dad," Ginny explained, coming around Ron to hug each of them. Ron simply gave them a dirty look.

Harry reached the bottom stair and came to stand beside his friend. "Hullo Fred, George," he said softly.

"Hiya, Harry. So what's going on?" Fred asked.

They all stared at each other for a moment, Fred and George inquisitive; Ron, Harry, and Ginny confused. "You don't know?" Ron exclaimed. "Well then what are you doing here?"

"Dad sent Errol. The message just said to come. Something about a family meeting."

They'd been having rather a lot of those in the past two months. George wondered if it wasn't simply his parents' way of making sure they were all still in one piece. There really hadn't been any actual news to tell in quite a while.

But once he thought about it, it did seem a bit odd that this one was taking place so early in the morning. "Percy?" he questioned with trepidation.

Before any of them could answer, footsteps sounded from behind them. They all jumped as a new voice interrupted, "Hey, I thought I heard voices!" Mundungus ambled toward them from the kitchen. "Fred, George! Good to see ya.' I didn't know you kids were up," he addressed to the three younger ones. Apparently they were looking at him with varying degrees of worry, for he studied them a moment and then said, "Now look, there's no need to be worryin' so much. Your parents will be back soon, and I'm sure everything'll be just fine."

Fred had had enough of the confusion and burst out, "All right, what the bloody hell is happening here?"

Ron and Ginny exchanged a look. Harry was looking at both of them in a peculiar way. When they didn't speak up, he did. "Your Mum and Dad went to St. Mungo's. To see Percy."

George and Fred stared at him with twin expressions of shock. "They found him?" George whispered.

Recovering a bit more quickly, Fred cleared his throat and asked seriously, "How is he?"

Ginny shrugged helplessly and cast a somewhat pitiful look at Mundungus as she said, "We really don't know any more than that."

Mundungus didn't get the hint until all five of them were staring at him. Then, he was no help whatsoever. "Oh, sorry kids. If I knew more, I'd tell ya.' But your parents didn't know any more than that when they left. Come on. Let's go sit down; get a drink. Nothin' more you can do right now."

With a little coaxing, Mundungus led them into the kitchen. A tense silence fell over them. The five of them took seats around the table as Mundungus summoned a butterbeer for each of them. George considered asking for something stronger, knowing that Mundungus would happily provide it. George figured he and Fred were easily Mundungus' favorite Weasleys. And the man was getting himself one, after all. But Ginny had settled at George's side, and Ron directly across from him, and he couldn't bring himself to do it. With a sigh he began to sip the butterbeer, and he let his mind drift back to the first family meeting they'd had at the beginning of this dreadful summer.

..................

_..Flashback.._

When Dad's head had popped up in their hearth, insisting they come to the Burrow right away, they knew it must either be very good news or very bad.

They had quickly apparated back to the Burrow.

"Why does everything happen in the middle of the night?" George groused as they entered through the kitchen. But despite the words, his voice was tense.

Fred stopped short a few feet into the kitchen. George ran into him. Off-balance and tangled together, they both tumbled to the floor.

George was thinking up a few choice words for his twin, but when he looked up the words died in his throat.

Their mother was at the sink, washing dishes. By hand—no magic in sight. And despite the fact that two of her children were in a pile on the floor, two children she hadn't seen for a few weeks, their normally over-affectionate mother barely spared them a glance. "Boys, thank goodness you're here. Your brother and sister are in the family room; go wait with them please."

George and Fred exchanged a confused glance before climbing to their feet. "Uh...Mum? Are you okay?"

Molly Weasley finally focused on her sons, an expression of tension and ill-concealed worry on her face. Nevertheless, she attempted a smile for their benefit. "Your father will be home soon. I'm sure everything will be fine." She didn't sound too sure. "Please, go sit with Ginny and Ron."

Anther glance was exchanged, but they did as she asked.

Ginny sat in a chair near the fireplace, staring at a random point and blinking owlishly. Ron had apparently lost the fight with alertness and was sideways on the couch, snoring lightly.

The twins greeted their sister quietly. "Dad isn't home yet?" Ginny asked, stifling a yawn.

"Apparently not."

Still looking a bit bleary, she told them, "Mum hasn't come out of the kitchen since she dragged us down here. She wouldn't tell us anything."

Resigned to waiting, Fred took the other chair near the fireplace. George nudged Ron. His younger brother slowly sat up, blinking sleepily at George. "What's goin' on?" he asked.

"Don't know yet," George responded, settling beside him.

Ron yawned and curled against his brother's shoulder, obviously still half-asleep. George rolled his eyes, but didn't move him.

Silence fell over the siblings. With nothing else to do, George was left with his thoughts. The last time they'd been woken in the middle of the night, it was because Ron and Ginny had tagged along to the Ministry and done battle with a bunch of death eaters. The time before that, their father had been brutally attacked by a giant snake.

What was coming this time? At least the two youngest Weasleys were here and in one piece. Unconsciously he tightened an arm around Ron, who shifted sleepily against him.

Finally Fred piped up, "This is ridiculous. If it's that important, we shouldn't just be sitting here."

"Mum swears Harry's fine," Ron volunteered in a mumble. Though his eyes were shut, he was apparently trying to stay awake.

"It was the first thing we asked," Ginny put in, and both twins nodded. That was the natural assumption, and frankly the first thing they had been concerned over as well. Knowing that his friend was not in danger had evidently given Ron enough of a sense of security that worry wasn't keeping him awake. Ginny remained somewhat alert, though apparently they had been left in here with no news for a good while.

It was frustrating, to say the least.

Eventually they heard the kitchen door open once more and quiet voices conversing. George jostled Ron slightly, and his younger brother pushed away to sit up on his own in an effort to wake up. As they all stared warily towards the kitchen and the slowly approaching footsteps, George identified all three voices. Mum, Dad, and Bill.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief, realizing he'd been worried about his brother. But now the entire family was here; at least everyone they could expect to be here. Whatever was going on, at least they were safe.

His father's thinking was apparently on the same lines. "Is everyone here?" he heard Arthur ask Molly as they headed towards the room.

Molly was nodding. But as they entered Fred put in, "I suppose if we're waiting for Charlie it will be a while yet," in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Ron snorted, still rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wake up, and added, "If we're waiting for Percy, it will be even longer."

George would have expected that comment to make Arthur's face darken, as mention of the rift with Percy still tended to do. Instead, his father's falsely calm façade crumbled for a moment. In its place was a look of sadness mixed with pure fear.

Bill clapped a supportive hand on his shoulder and the moment passed, façade firmly pulled back into place.

The four youngest Weasleys had noticed however, and all sat a bit straighter. "Dad, what's going on?" Ginny asked warily.

Arthur took a deep breath. "Let's all sit, shall we?" he gestured for Molly and Bill to sit.

But the younger ones had had enough waiting. "Something's happened with Percy?" Fred ventured, based on the earlier reaction.

Again the eldest Weasleys exchanged a look, all of them seeming hesitant to say this. George felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Finally Arthur said slowly, "Percy is...well, we don't know where he is. He seems to have vanished."

"Vanished?" George repeated dubiously, glancing between his parents and Bill. He'd somehow been expecting something much worse. So Percy had gone off somewhere, serving only to worry his family. His feelings for Percy were a jumbled mess anyway, but the most prominent was usually anger. He couldn't sort them out now, which probably contributed to what he said next. "Maybe he finally snapped and just wandered off," he suggested.

The looks he received told him clearly that his parents were taking this much more seriously.

Arthur ignored his comment and continued, "He didn't show up for work—for 3 days in a row. No call, no owl—nothing. Since that's not at all like him, Fudge finally decided to ask me about it. Of course I hadn't seen him, but it certainly sounded like cause for concern."

"Maybe he took an unscheduled vacation," Ron volunteered uncertainly.

"If it was you, sure," Ginny shot at him. "But Percy? He'd get off his deathbed to go into work." She turned to their parents with worry evident on her face. "So what are you thinking?"

Bill spoke, "We checked out his apartment. Nothing was out of order. But there were no signs that he'd been there in the last few days. Hermes was awfully hungry and anxious to get out. We asked around—no one has seen him. He is simply gone."

After a few minutes of silent processing, Fred offered, "Are you sure it isn't something for the Ministry? Maybe Fudge thought you would notice his absence, but didn't want to tell you the whole story."

"The Order and the Ministry have been building more amicable relations. I doubt he would jeopardize that. Besides, I'm sure they wouldn't expend resources to start their own search if that were the case."

"Then what _is _the case?" Ron asked bluntly.

After a few more exchanged glances, Arthur finally spelled out for them, "We have to consider the possibility that he's been abducted."

Ginny sucked in a breath. Ron's eyes went wide with shock, his fingers digging into the couch cushions. George stared at them for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Fred. As far as they were concerned, Percy had already been the source of too much torment for this family. It was probably that thinking that made it so hard for him to take this with the severity that his parents were. Seeing Ron and Ginny's fearful reactions to their father's statement only made him more angry.

"What would He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named possibly want with Percy? Someone to organize his papers? Write him a report on the effects of dark magic on cauldron sales?" He didn't realize how much malice was in his voice until Ginny looked at him with a stunned expression. He looked away.

"True, Percy's job is fairly menial in and of itself," Arthur said carefully. "But he's had access to the uppermost levels of the Ministry; been privy to several restricted meetings."

"Of course, it might have nothing to do with the Ministry," Bill put in. "He's also connected to the Order."

"Not directly," Fred spoke up.

"But they may not realize that."

"They'd notice pretty quickly," George snorted carelessly.

Arthur shut his eyes tightly. Bill chastised, "George!" as Molly made a sound that was suspiciously like a whimper. George looked at them funny, trying to figure them out.

That was when it finally sank in that this wasn't new speculating for them. They must have gone over and over the possibilities with the Order before coming to their children. This was serious.

Then he thought about what he'd said, and his face went slack.

If Percy _was_ with death eaters...if he didn't tell them what they wanted, they'd try harder to convince him. When they realized that he wasn't able to tell them, he'd become useless. There's no need to keep useless things, and no need to risk them telling your secrets.

By their reactions, most of his family had already figured that out. "Oh, God," George mumbled, dropping his face into his hands.

"We don't know that that's the situation. We really don't know anything for sure yet."

_...End flashback..._

..................

Two months later, and they still didn't know anything for sure...except that it became less and less likely that Percy had wandered off the radar on his own. And every day made George feel worse for his flippant initial reaction.

Life marched on. Both the Order and the Ministry conducted searches, and both continued to come up empty. Meanwhile, intelligence told them that Voldemort was gaining new followers. There were other matters to attend to. The family had watched as everyone around them slowly began to give up hope on the lost Weasley.

Their parents had shortly moved to Grimmauld Place with Ron and Ginny as a precaution. He and Fred had moved out before all of this had started. Molly had tried to cajole them into moving in to the old Black house as well, but they had declined. They had each other for protection.

That argument hadn't gone over very well.

But stopping their lives wasn't the answer. They visited frequently, especially with all of those family meetings. But he and Fred had agreed that they didn't want to be forced into protective custody. Worrying about Percy was bad enough. Living in fear was just not conducive to their personalities.

Charlie had held a similar view. He had come home as soon as he'd been contacted and stayed for the first month, trying to help. When the Order's efforts continued to produce nothing, he eventually had to face that he was of much more use in his old position. Despite the danger they'd all agreed on that, even Molly. And yet, the day he'd headed back to Romania, they'd all clung to him as if the world were ending.

Bill and Charlie had been away from home for years. Percy had been gone for the last year. But even then, the family had never really felt broken. Not like this. Whenever they were away from each other, it felt as if something important was slipping away. But whenever they were together, they tended to fight over the most insignificant things. George supposed he should be grateful for the almost palpable silence between them now.

An unbearable amount of time later, they heard the front door open and then shut. They all jerked and turned towards the sound, though not one of them moved to get up.

It was with a strange mixture of relief and dread that they watched Arthur and Molly enter from the hallway a few moments later.

Molly looked as if she'd been crying on the trip home. She tried to offer them all a comforting smile as she sank into the nearest available chair, but it wasn't really very comforting at all.

Still, no one spoke. After glancing around the table, Arthur took a seat beside his wife. They shared a look, and she nodded to him. With a deep breath he began, "Earlier tonight, the Order raided a reported death eater hideout. We don't have a detailed account yet and we certainly don't know the events that led up to it on their side, but the house had been abandoned. Our people found Percy in the basement."

"Alive?" Ginny asked softly. She knew what the answer likely was, but somehow George suspected that she needed to hear it confirmed. He felt the same way.

"Yes," Arthur hastened to assure. "Yes, he's alive. He's actually quite well, all things considered. The Healer expects him to heal fairly quickly."

There was a collective sigh of relief around the table. With the vague sensation of something inside him finally melting, George allowed himself to smile. He slipped an arm around Ginny, who threw her arms around him for a quick hug in return. Across the table, Harry clapped a hand on Ron's shoulder and the two friends shared a relieved smile. From his corner of the kitchen, Mundungus grinned along with the family.

Fred, however, was watching their parents closely. "There's something more," he stated after a few moments.

The celebration paused as everyone else turned to look back at Arthur and Molly again.

Arthur nodded reluctantly. "He has amnesia. He has no memories of his capture or the last two months...or anything before that." He paused, watching the varying degrees of shock and incomprehension around the table, then spelled things out for them. "He doesn't remember us at all."

......................

tbc


	4. Structures

All the King's Men

By Perse

Chapter 4: Structures

...............

Two days passed. Percy's Healer had moved him into a private room where he could be both observed and guarded.

His other siblings hadn't even been to see him yet. The Healer, whose name Arthur had finally remembered as Melina Pryce (after Molly reminded him, that is), had thought it best not to overwhelm Percy with anyone else until she had finalized her diagnosis.

That did not mean that Percy was lacking for visitors. Bill was working short hours at Gringott's in order to spend as much time as possible with his brother. Percy still seemed much more comfortable with him than anyone else. Arthur and Molly had come twice each day, once together and once a piece. Percy was warming up to them a bit, but seemed to do better one-on-one.

Still, there were no signs of returning memory.

The third day, Arthur returned to work at the Ministry for part of the day. When he arrived at the hospital later, Molly met him at the entrance to the ward.

"How's he doing today?" Arthur asked as he greeted her with a hug.

"Better, I think. He seems more comfortable with me each day," she said with a smile. "Healer Pryce wants to meet with us before you see him."

A few minutes later they took seats in the office, the same seats they had taken days earlier when the news had been broken to them. The Healer smiled encouragingly at them as she took her own seat on the other side of the desk.

"At this point, I can say with a good amount of certainty that this is not the result of a charm or even spell damage. It is a psychological effect of trauma."

Arthur nodded slightly. They had been expecting that. "So where do we go from here?"

"There is nothing physical keeping his memories away. With most cases of amnesia, memories start to return on their own. I think it would be best to let it happen naturally. But you can help it along; he's more likely to remember if he's with the people he was close to and in a familiar place."

"We can take him home?" Molly asked hopefully.

She smiled. "Yes. I think that may be the best thing for him."

Unfortunately, the relief of having him out of the hospital had to war with worries about exactly how the home situation would shape up. Arthur shared a slight smile with Molly before asking, "What about the other kids? Isn't it going to be a bit overwhelming to take him home and make him face a bunch of new people..."

"That's certainly a valid concern," she acknowledged. "I was going to suggest that we keep him here a couple more days and let him get used to the idea of going home. We do still need to be careful not to overwhelm him. He should meet his siblings before he goes home with them. Just take it slowly, all right? Bring them in one at a time."

...............

"Healer Pryce thinks it would be best if we take him somewhere familiar. He's never even been in this house. We need to take him home."

"Molly, I understand what you're saying. But please, hear us out," Remus tried to placate.

Molly was pacing in frustration; Remus had stood to try to calm her. Behind him, part of the Order sat around the kitchen table. They had held a meeting earlier in the evening before Molly and Arthur returned from St. Mungo's. It was now quite late, but Bill, Remus, Moody, and Kingsley Shacklebolt had remained behind to discuss things with them. From his position at the end of the table, Bill watched the others exchanging uneasy glances.

He was thrilled with the idea of bringing Percy home. And he understood why his parents felt the need to take him to the Burrow. It was important to his recovery. But he also understood the point of view that the rest of the Order had settled upon. The Burrow wasn't as safe as Number 12 Grimmauld Place. And their lack of knowledge about the motives and specifics of Percy's abduction was forcing them to be a bit paranoid now.

"There was a reason we moved the rest of you here. There's no reason to think that it's any safer now," Kingsley said.

"They could still come after Percy," Moody put in gruffly. "Or someone else; perhaps someone with a bit more information on the Order," he said pointedly, his normal eye focused on Arthur and the other vacillating between Molly and Bill.

"Oh, please! They could take any of us off the street any day if they really wanted to!" Molly burst out.

"It isn't as if we wouldn't be on our guard," Arthur put in from his seat in a slightly calmer but no less serious manner.

The arguments went back and forth. After a length of time Remus finally suggested tentatively, "It is possible that we could fortify the house and the immediate grounds. With protection spells and wards—we could make it relatively safe."

"Relative to what?" Moody groused.

"It is possible," Kingsley admitted as if Moody had not spoken. "It would still be a risk, however. Are you willing to take it?"

Molly and Arthur met each other's eyes. She nodded slightly. He looked to Bill.

Bill met his father's steady gaze. As the eldest, he felt the weight of this decision much as his parents probably did. The Burrow was certainly best for Percy and his recovery. But it wasn't just his safety they had to think about; it was the younger kids too. Percy needed to be with them as much—and likely more—than he needed to be in the house. But despite the worries, the Order could set up some formidable magical protection. And there would be enough wizards in the house to handle things. Finally, he nodded to his father.

Arthur nodded as well. "We're taking him home," he announced. "But at the first sign of trouble, we'll move. No arguments, I promise."

Moody clearly did not like this, though he grudgingly agreed.

Though it was still obvious that some of them thought this a bad decision, the whole room seemed to breathe a slight sigh of relief as they reached a consensus. Molly finally sank into a chair, and the others began to stand in preparation to leave.

"What about Harry?" Bill put in quietly.

Everyone paused. The relieved mood came down a few notches.

Moody was the first to state the obvious. "He'll have to stay here, of course." He didn't seem to understand why there would be conflict about that.

But Bill did. His parents saw Harry as essentially one of their own children. Heck, the whole family felt that way. They weren't going to feel good about leaving him here.

Sure enough, he watched as his exhausted mother visibly gathered herself for another argument.

But it didn't even get started. Arthur declared softly, "They're right, Molly. He's much safer here. And while we have a good case for having Percy at the Burrow, we don't have that with Harry."

Molly looked upset. "He's still grieving, Arthur. He's just been doing it quietly. He shouldn't be alone; he needs to be with people who care for him."

"Even if our attention is elsewhere?" Bill put in. "Of course, it has been all summer," he added as an afterthought.

"He won't be alone." At the quiet words they all looked at Remus, realizing that he had been unusually quiet for the last few minutes. He glanced up to meet their gazes, a pained expression in his eyes. "They are right, Molly, he is much safer here. But he won't be alone. I care for him as well."

"Of course, Remus," Molly said after a few beats. "I don't doubt that you can look after him. I just..." she paused, at a loss for how to explain this without insulting Remus. She had entirely too many children that she was trying to worry about.

"I understand, Molly," Lupin stated kindly. "But it isn't as if we'll be sending him back to Privet Drive. And he can certainly visit."

It was obvious that no one was completely pleased with the decisions and arrangements as they stood. But everyone could at least grudgingly agree at this point. As it was so late, they decided to call it a night.

Moody and Shacklebolt left a few minutes later. Bill was exhausted. Now that things had been settled, fatigue was kicking in with a vengeance. He was abundantly grateful that he had accepted a room in the house and didn't have to make his way back to his apartment. He bid his parents and Remus good night and headed for the stairs.

He was about three stairs up before he even noticed that he wasn't alone. "Ron," he said with a small sigh. "You're supposed to be in bed."

From his seat midway up the staircase, his youngest brother shrugged. "Wasn't sleepy," he offered simply.

"Really, because you look like you're about to fall asleep right here." Despite the words, he wasn't really chiding. He had honestly expected to catch one of them eavesdropping, though he had rather expected Ginny. When Ron made no move to get up, he climbed to his brother's position and settled beside him. "You heard all of that?"

Ron said nothing, just nodded slightly.

He nudged Ron's shoulder. "Hey, cheer up. Harry can visit sometimes. And school starts up again in a month; then we won't have to worry about all of this."

"Oh, yeah. 'Cause our school years are usually so very stress-free," Ron said sarcastically. When Bill cast him an odd look, he took a deep breath and shook his head. "Never mind. Sorry...I'm just tired."

Bill let it go. They'd all been on edge for so long, it was going to be a while before things calmed down, despite the fact that Percy had been found alive. His condition and the tension over the Burrow's safety weren't going to help matters much.

With a yawn he heaved himself to his feet and then pulled Ron up with him. He placed a steadying hand on his little brother's back and steered him up the stairs. "Let's get to bed, kiddo. I've got to get up early so I can spend some time with Percy before work."

...............

"Morning, Perce."

Percy's face lit up with a shy smile when he caught sight of his brother. "Morning," he returned.

Bill returned the smile as he shut the door behind him and came over to the bed. "I brought you something." Percy scooted over to make room for him and Bill settled beside him, pulling a small box out of his bag. "I thought that before you met the rest of the family, I should give you a little crash course."

At the mention of family Percy became obviously nervous. But he shouldered it bravely and nodded for Bill to continue. Bill opened the box to reveal a small stack of photographs. Percy leaned over to look curiously.

"You want me to start at the top, or would you like to pick?"

Percy looked at him, still uncertain. When Bill gave him an encouraging nod, he cautiously reached into the box and pulled out a picture.

Bill was prepared to identify if for him, but this one didn't need it. "Mum and Dad," Percy murmured.

Delicately, he placed it on the bed in front of them. The he reached back into the box, less hesitant now. He studied the new photo for a moment, then handed it to Bill questioningly. "That's our brother, Charlie. He's older than you; younger than me. He works with dragons in Romania."

"Dragons? That sounds cool."

Bill raised an eyebrow in amusement. He'd heard Percy use the words 'crazy,' 'suicidal,' and 'no room for advancement' in reference to Charlie's job in the past. "He's not here right now, but he's planning to come for a few weeks soon."

Percy took the picture back. Charlie smiled up at his little brother and waved. He simply held it for a few moments, apparently memorizing the face. Then he reached to place it beside the one of their parents. "How many brothers do we have?" he asked.

"There are six of us," Bill answered, then laughed as Percy's eyebrows shot up and couldn't resist adding, "and that's just the boys."

He regretted it when Percy began to look nervous and overwhelmed again and quickly confessed that there was only one sister. Percy gave him a dirty look, told him that that was still far too many, then reached for the box again. As he pulled out the next photo, he smiled. Then he turned it towards Bill. "Who was this one again?" he asked innocently.

It was a picture of Bill. He narrowed his eyes at Percy, who was trying to keep his lips from quirking.

Percy was teasing him.

With a laugh, Bill grabbed him gently and proceeded to muss his hair. Percy protested, giggling. He hadn't heard Percy giggle since he was 10. In fact, he hadn't been this close to Percy in almost as long. He rather appreciated this sweet and less-jaded version of his brother.

And he hated himself for thinking that. He knew this situation was hard for Percy, and he would never have wished this fate on someone he loved.

Still, he held onto him for a minute as Percy settled and simply rested in his grip. There was no awkwardness then, or when he let him go. Percy simply reached to right his glasses, which had been knocked askew, then took the picture of Bill and placed it with the others. He studied that arrangement for a moment, then moved Charlie's picture over and placed Bill between their parents and the next eldest brother.

The organization was so characteristically Percy that Bill felt a pang in his heart. Somewhere in there was still the same brother who had obsessed over his grades and responsibilities, and his later his job. The same brother who had chosen that job over his family and severed his ties with them, who had made their mother cry over him for months.

But when he turned back to Bill with a smile on his lips, that old Percy was very hard to see.

Bill pushed those thoughts aside, needing to focus on the here and now. Percy had pulled out the next photograph and was studying it. After a moment he asked, "These are recent, right?"

"Most of them."

"This one's younger than me," he deduced, showing it to Bill.

"Yes..." Bill pulled it closer before he released it and continued, "That's George."

Even from the small confines of the picture plane, George was making an impression. He moved partially out of the frame, then reappeared with a candy in his hand. He popped it into his mouth, chewed for a moment, then stuck out his tongue. It was now yellow with pink polka-dots.

Percy laughed. "He looks like a handful."

"That's putting it mildly," he responded dryly. Bill wasn't sure he'd ever seen Percy laugh at the twins' silly antics before. He watched as Percy carefully placed George next to Charlie and reached in for the next picture almost eagerly.

"This is our sister?" he asked a moment later.

Bill glanced at the picture and nodded. "That's Ginny. She's the youngest. She's grown up a bit since that was taken, though." The photo had been taken just before her first year at Hogwarts, and Ginny alternated between looking down and glancing out at them with a shy, sweet smile. Bill wished he had found a more recent shot of her, because she had matured a lot since then.

Having been told that she was the youngest, Percy placed her on the far right-side of the bed and left space between her and George. The next picture he pulled out brought a confused look. "George again," he stated with uncertainty.

"No, sorry. That's Fred," Bill told him.

Percy looked from the shot of George already in its place to the one in his hand. "Twins?" he asked with a definite bit of dread.

Bill couldn't help a small chuckle as he confirmed that.

"How do you tell them apart?"

Bill opened his mouth to answer, then realized that he didn't have one. When the boys had been little there had been much talk of minuscule birthmarks and clusters of freckles, but as they'd grown the family had simply learned to tell them apart. He hadn't actually thought about it in a long time, and as such he really didn't know how to describe it. He realized abruptly that while Percy was going to have enough trouble remembering so many of them, it was going to be near impossible with the twins. No wonder he sounded so concerned.

He made a mental note to talk with Fred and George about this. They were likely to only make things harder.

To Percy he said, "Don't worry. We'll dye one of their heads purple or something. They'll probably be up for it; those two are by far the nuttiest and most easy-going Weasleys."

Percy smiled, but it lacked the ease he had shown earlier. Trying to shrug off his worry, he placed Fred beside his twin and reached in for the next to last picture.

"That's Ron. He's the youngest boy, though he's gotten taller than Fred and George," he said nodding towards the other pictures on the bed.

Percy studied them for a moment, then added, "I can still tell that he's younger, though." Then he looked surprised by something Ron had done in the picture.

Bill craned his head to see. The picture had been taken to show Ron holding his new broomstick with pride. Unfortunately, he had somehow managed to trip over it. Bill winced, suspecting that that showed a tendency towards self-doubt. From what he had heard of this past Quidditch season, Ron had dealt with a lot of that before finally overcoming it with a win. To Percy he said, "He's really not a klutz. It's just...well, whereas the twins are usually causing trouble, Ron just seems to find it naturally."

Percy nodded thoughtfully. He carefully placed Ron between George and Ginny.

"I probably should have put in a picture of Harry," Bill mused absently as he watched. When that only earned him a blank look, he continued, "Harry is Ron's best friend. But he's practically a member of the family; he'll probably be around a good bit."

Still no sign of recognition. Percy went back to the box and Bill sighed. He had half hoped that, as Percy seemed to have retained a basic knowledge of the wizarding world, Harry Potter would be included in it.

Percy pulled out the last picture. This one he spent a long time studying.

Bill had debated including it. But the set was incomplete without it, and he felt that the implications of that were far worse than the actual picture.

"I don't look very happy," Percy finally said softly.

The Percy in the picture looked fairly ticked off that he had been interrupted in the midst of whatever he was working on. After giving them an annoyed look he went back to his papers and began pointedly ignoring them.

"Must have caught you on a bad day," Bill offered lightly.

It was a lie, and he felt bad for it. Most of their pictures of Percy were like that. He had searched for the shot of Percy's graduation from Hogwarts, in which he looked a bit arrogant but was also at least a bit happy. But as he had thought of this late last night, then stumbled out of bed to go to his apartment and get pictures together from his own collection, his options were limited.

Percy accepted his flimsy explanation, though he still looked at the picture uneasily. With utmost delicacy, he reached out and adjusted all of the pictures until there was space between Charlie and George. Slowly, carefully, he placed his picture between his brothers. Then he straightened up, taking in the entire family. Bill watched him for a few moments, then shifted to place an arm around his shoulders. Percy leaned into him. "I wish I could remember them," he confessed softly.

"I know," Bill responded, just as softly. He gave into a brotherly urge and pressed a soft kiss in Percy's hair. "But even if you never remember, we'll give you plenty of new memories. I promise."

..................

tbc


	5. Of Mice and Men

All the King's Men

By Perse

Chapter 5: Of Mice and Men

* * *

_The stairwell was dark, but there was a light at the bottom. _

_Ron descended slowly. While he wanted to reach the light, wanted to know if it held what he sought, he was also inexplicably afraid of it._

_Still, he went. It seemed incredibly long. Eventually he reached the bottom, stepping into a small basement room._

_People milled about—Order members. Lupin was there, and Moody. And Bill, in the corner. _

_In the middle of the room sat a chair. In the chair...sat his brother._

_He approached the chair in a daze. No one stopped him, or even seemed to notice him._

_Fearfully, shaking, he reached out a hand and touched Percy's face. _

_He was cold._

_Too cold._

_Feeling almost as if the hand had a mind of its own, he began to stroke Percy's cheek. His brother didn't move. Ron released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding in a shaky half-sob. _

_He was noticed then. Abruptly, Bill was beside him, gently grasping the hand. "Ron..."_

_Ron pulled out of his grasp, reaching for Percy again. He said simply, "No..."_

_Bill grabbed him; forced him away from the chair. Ron fell to his knees a few yards away, and Bill followed, placing himself between Ron and the chair and blocking his line of view._

"_He's dead, Ron. He's dead."_

"_No! No...he can't be..." He was crying._

_Bill moved to hug him, holding him tightly. When he did so he shifted out of Ron's line of vision, and he could see Percy's body again. His vision swam with tears and he closed his eyes, pressing his face into Bill shoulder._

"Ron! _Ron_, wake up!"

It wasn't the words, but the very real sensation of hands on his shoulders shaking him that woke him. He came awake with a gasp, disoriented. The bedroom was lit with a dull glow. Harry was at his side, leaning over him, concern on his face.

Ron simply stared at him for a few moments, breathing hard and trying to separate the dream from reality. _Percy's alive, Percy's alive_...he repeated it mentally like a mantra and shut his eyes tightly until he'd managed to convince himself that it was true.

When he opened his eyes again, Harry looked even more worried. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." Ron pushed himself upright, forcing Harry to move back a bit. But he remained seated on his friend's bed. "I'm sorry I woke you," Ron said, rubbing his eyes. "Was I yelling?" he assumed, having played this scene more than once during the summer, though this was the first time this particular nightmare had put in an appearance.

"No." Harry paused, then said hesitantly, "You were crying."

Ron looked at him in surprise, then realized with a shock that his cheeks were still wet. He hastily scrubbed at them. He'd survived this whole hellish summer without crying. Why would he have this nightmare _now_, when his brother was safe?

Embarrassed now, he looked away as he felt his cheeks burn. "Sorry," he mumbled again.

"Don't apologize," Harry said softly. "Do you want to talk about it?" he offered, and it was sincere, if a bit awkward.

But Ron had no desire to relive it. "No, thanks," he said faintly. "I'm fine."

Harry looked unconvinced and almost pained as he appeared to be digging for the right words to say. Unwilling to have this conversation Ron asked abruptly, "Will you come to Diagon Alley with me later? I want to get something for Percy."

Harry looked surprised. "Sure," he answered hesitantly. "But...aren't you going home later today?"

"Yeah. And, I know you're not going to be staying there, but you can come with me. We can floo from there. Then you can come back for the night."

He knew the adults would never go for it. But he couldn't imagine anything he'd rather do, and he guessed that Harry was sick of being cooped up as well. Getting out of these walls, spending an afternoon out in the magical world with his best friend would be great.

He watched the emotions flicker over his friend's features before Harry said reluctantly, "You know they'll never let us out alone, right?"

"Oh, sure. I'll find someone," Ron responded absently.

* * *

"Damn," George cursed, feeling the sticky wetness of blood almost immediately begin to trickle down his hand. 

"George?" Fred called, concern in his voice.

"Sorry, everything's fine," George responded. Fred was in the front of the store, helping a customer. George had been setting up a display in the back corner. Now he stared down at the broken glass and the oozing brownish liquid on the floor. He pulled out his wand and knelt beside the mess.

He heard the Fred thank the customer and walk her to the door as he said a soft, "Scourgify." The mess disappeared, and he tilted his head to look back up at the display. It was almost overwhelming from this point of view. With a sigh he let himself fall into a seated position on the floor, staring up.

His twin had returned to the register. "You want to talk about it?" Fred asked as he placed the money in the register and then headed in George's direction.

George sighed, at once annoyed that Fred could read him so well and glad that he didn't have to dance around the topic. "I want to see him. But at the same time...I really don't. You know?" He feared that he was making no sense.

Luckily, he'd never needed to make sense for Fred to understand him. "I know," his twin said quietly, coming to kneel beside him. "Are you okay?"

George stuffed his wand back in his pocket and then held up his bleeding fingers. "I'll live."

Fred took his hand gently and pulled out his own wand. As he performed a simple healing charm, George asked the same question he had already asked twice since Fred's visit with Percy the night before. "How do you think he'll respond to me?"

Fred sighed and put his wand away before answering, "He was fine. I mean, it was weird of course, and he was obviously a little uncomfortable. But we had a nice, friendly conversation." He paused, looking George in the eye in a way that seemed to look straight into his soul. "He really has no memory. Whatever has happened in the past is in the past, George. You get a fresh start."

"Until he gets his memory back?" George asked softly.

Fred looked away, apparently not having an answer for that.

"Are we supposed to treat him like someone else?" George paused to take a calming breath, then admitted, "I don't know how I'm going to respond to him, Fred. I don't know how I feel about him right now."

"George...last year, when we hated him for everything he had said and done...underneath all of that, did you still love him?"

"He's our brother. I can love him and not like him," George stated reluctantly. He met Fred's eyes, then added with a soft sigh, "Yes, I still loved him."

"And you still do. Latch onto that; that's all you need to know. That's all _he_ needs to know right now."

George finally nodded, though reluctant and still concerned.

"Everything will be fine. Don't worry so much." That said, Fred's lips quirked into a slight smile. He reached to gently pinch George's side, finding the ticklish spot with ease that only a brother could possess. George jumped and smiled despite himself, then squirmed away with a well-placed elbow in Fred's chest. His twin moaned theatrically, but he had a grin on his face as he stood. He ruffled George's hair before heading back to the register.

George's gaze followed him for a moment. He wondered when Fred had become the big brother in their relationship. It used to be pretty equal, but lately he felt as if Fred was usually taking care of him.

He pushed himself up and went back to work on the display, firmly telling himself not to think about it. He still had hours before his meeting at the hospital that night, and they really couldn't afford for him to continue breaking things until then.

* * *

Harry stumbled out of the fireplace, coughing and trying in vain to brush the soot and ash from his clothes. Ron gripped his arm and tugged him away from the hearth, an act that Harry was quite grateful for a moment later when Mundungus came stumbling out after them. 

Harry glanced around at the familiar interior of the Leaky Cauldron. There weren't that many patrons here at this time of day, so their appearance had only gathered a few odd looks.

"Well, you boys have a good time now, and meet me back here by dinnertime," Mundungus told them as he made a beeline for the bar.

Harry stared after him skeptically. "I'm surprised your parents agreed to this."

"Well...they're busy. Dad's at work, Mom's back and forth between the hospital, Grimmauld Place, and the Burrow. They won't even miss us."

Harry froze at that and slowly turned to look at his friend. "Ron, does anyone know where we are?"

"Sure. Mundungus does." When Harry gave him a dubious look he added, "I left a note that we were with him."

"Well, that ought to eliminate any worry," he said with a gentle sarcasm.

Ron purposefully ignored that, for he knew as well as Harry that his mother would have an aneurysm if she knew they had gone off with Mundungus. Instead he said simply, "Diagon Alley's perfectly safe. He knows that."

"Yeah, sure," Harry said aloud. But mentally he was remembering an encounter they'd had here a few years back with Lucius Malfoy. They knew there were death eaters walking around, blending with the magical community as they had done before. And they didn't know who all of them were. The danger had increased greatly since Voldemort had made his return public knowledge. While meeting Voldemort himself was unlikely, they could run into almost anyone else in Diagon Alley.

Nevertheless, he followed Ron out of the Leaky Cauldron and to the brick wall. And after Ron had performed the necessary tapping, he followed him through the opening created.

The street was crowded with witches and wizards shopping for magical supplies. It was the first time since the encounter in the Ministry that Harry had been in a public place unescorted or for any length of time. It was freeing.

And much more frightening than he'd expected.

Suddenly, he felt the need to look twice at everyone and to be hyperaware of his surroundings. It only took a few moments for him to know that he'd never enjoy the afternoon this way. To take his mind off the unwelcome paranoia, he decided to bring up another less-than-pleasant issue that he had been wondering about since that morning. "Um...Ron?" he began hesitantly, unsure of how to say this without offending his friend. But he couldn't imagine that Ron would have enough money to buy Percy much of a gift. And now Ron was looking at him expectantly, so he stumbled on, "Ah...we could stop by Gringott's if you'd like...I'd love to help out with Percy's present...I mean, it would still be mostly from you of course..."

After a few moments of staring at him blankly, Ron finally caught on and said, "No, no. It's okay; I borrowed a little money from George. The shop's doing really well you know." He paused, then added, "Thanks, though. And really, since you supplied the money for the shop in the first place, it is like you helped."

"Yeah, I guess so," Harry said with a smile. That had gone surprisingly well, and Ron had obviously been putting some thought into this. "Do you know what you want to get?"

"I have a pretty good idea."

About ten minutes later, after a brief stop to gaze longingly at the latest brooms, Harry realized that Ron was steering them towards the Magical Menagerie. He was a bit surprised, because Hermes was still perfectly healthy and had been hanging out with Hedwig all summer. Ron had been caring for him and would certainly be able to give him back to Percy.

But Ron clearly had something else in mind. When they entered the magical pet store, he ignored the wealth of other animals and went straight to the cages filled with rats.

Lots of rats, all displaying different sizes and colors and magical abilities, began to preen for his benefit. But Ron seemed to have something specific in mind, and he ignored the great majority of them. He eventually made his way to the last cage, stuffed back into a corner of the store. He reached in and fished a small creature out from its little burrow, then headed for the desk to pay.

Harry came up beside him and stared at the little rat. It was a bit scrawny and ragged-looking, as if it had passed through the hands of too many overexcited wizard children with their first wands.

He resisted the urge to ask again if Ron was _sure_ he didn't want some financial help. But Ron knew him well enough to know exactly what he was thinking, anyway. "I know he's not the prettiest," Ron said. "But he's exactly what I was after. He reminds me of Scabbers. And you know Scabbers was kind of a gift from Percy, so it seemed appropriate."

Harry raised an eyebrow as Ron paid and they headed out of the store. Though in the end he had proven to care about the rat, Ron had always seemed to consider him Percy's used-up leftovers rather than a gift. Harry was beginning to think that it had been so long since Ron had seen his brother, and that he'd had so many confusing emotions toward him, that he was trying to reinvent his impression of Percy.

But maybe he was wrong. Or maybe it would turn out to be a good thing. What did he know about relating to siblings? Dudley certainly didn't count.

So he said, "I think it's a great gift." Then, a bit lighter he added, "You know, as long as he's not a servant of Voldemort's in disguise."

They both laughed.

Then they both stopped walking in the middle of the street and stared at the rat.

"Can they test for things like that?" Ron asked.

"Did you count his toes?" Harry asked with some trepidation, reaching for the rat's front paws.

They were all there. The little rat looked up at the two of them as if they were nutters, then simply relaxed in Ron's hands, looking bored. Harry shared a slight smile with his friend. "I suppose he's safe."

Ron tucked the little rat into his front pocket, where it curled up and almost immediately went to sleep.

Suddenly a familiar voice called, "Boys!"

Harry jumped and spun towards it. It was Fred, approaching them quickly from the other side of the street. "Little brother, Harry," he began with a bright and entirely false cheerfulness. "Out here, all by yourselves." He draped an arm around each of them, squeezed a bit tighter than necessary, and steered them in the direction of the joke shop. "Come say hi to George," he all but ordered. And even though Ron had a few inches on him, Fred easily manhandled them across the street.

They made a beeline for the shop, but they were intercepted on the sidewalk by a familiar face. "Harry...boys," the Minister of Magic greeted jovially, though in a way that suggested he had no idea which Weasleys he was talking to. "How are you doing?" he asked, sticking out a hand.

Harry expected to be let go so Fred could shake the offered hand. But instead, the redhead ignored it. If anything, his grip on Harry tightened protectively. "Fudge," he said coolly.

Ron and Harry both looked at Fred, then back at Fudge. Neither spoke. After a moment of awkward silence Fudge cleared his throat uncomfortably and pulled his hand back. "Well," he said with some of that fake cheerfulness that Fred had used just moments before, "have you met my new assistant?" he asked, nudging the young man behind him forward. "Most efficient man I've ever met. Say hello, Thomas."

Harry squirmed reflexively as Fred's grip tightened painfully. What was Fudge thinking, blatantly implying that Percy's replacement was better than him? Either he was an idiot, or he was being purposefully cruel. Harry was inclined to go with the first explanation, though neither of the Weasleys at his side seemed to share that sentiment.

As Thomas nodded politely to them, Fred sized him up in a glance and then proceeded to ignore him. Ron glared at him outright. Fred addressed Fudge with, "Percy's hanging in there, by the way. Thank you for your concern." His voice oozed with sarcasm.

Fudge stared at him for a moment. Obviously determined not to get into an argument in this very public place, he smiled and said, "Yes, yes. That's great news. Well, we'd best be running along. People to meet with, that sort of thing. Give Percy our best wishes, won't you?" As he spoke he nudged his assistant to get him moving and began edging after him.

"I'll do that," Fred responded in the same tone as before. As soon as Fudge was out of their direct path, he propelled Harry and Ron forward once more and didn't look back.

He didn't let go of either of them until they stood before the store's door. Then he released them, opened it, and held it as he ushered them inside. By this point Ron's face was approaching the color of his hair, anger evident in his features as he spun to face his brother.

George came from the back. "Ron, Harry," he said in surprise. "What are you—" he broke off as he observed his brothers' expressions.

"What are you two thinking? You can't be wandering around by yourselves!" Fred burst out.

"We're not _children_, Fred," Ron bit out.

"Then maybe you shouldn't act like irresponsible children!" Fred responded.

"One of the twins is lecturing me on maturity. Hell must be freezing over," Ron shot back.

"Someone has to," Fred said coolly. "It's obvious that someone needs to take care of you, since you don't have the sense to keep yourselves out of danger."

Though he was including Harry, he hadn't looked away from Ron, and it was rather clear where he was placing blame. Ironically, Harry realized, this was one of the few times Ron had been the one to lead him into possible trouble rather than the other way around.

Ron was countering, "We can take care of ourselves, you know. We battled death eaters, even though we were seriously outnumbered! And we did it without any of our baby-sitters!"

"Oh yes! And look how well that turned out! If you'd stopped to talk to any of your 'baby-sitters,' it wouldn't have happened at all!"

Harry winced, and George noticed. "Fred," he began quietly.

The two feuding brothers ignored him. "There was no one around for us to go to!" Ron threw back.

"Exactly! There was no one there then! And no one was there for Percy! Why do you think we're all so damn close now?"

And right there was the plain truth that no one had actually spoken aloud all summer. It made Ron pause, but he wasn't ready to let go of his anger yet. Harry knew it was more at the situation than the people, but venting against events wasn't near as satisfying as taking it out on people.

Still, he was surprised when Ron threw back, "And how would you help, anyway? Harry's faced _Him_ four times and survived. All you've ever done is tick off some professors and made some kids have nosebleeds. You didn't even graduate. What good do you suppose you would be in a fight?"

His voice had risen to a level that finally woke the new pet in his pocket, and it squeaked as it squirmed in the small confines. Ron was forced to take a breath as he brought up a hand to soothe it.

Harry watched as Ron looked down at the rat, then looked up again to take in his brothers' expressions and the fact that neither of them shot anything back at him. He seemed to deflate a bit at what he saw.

George was staring at him in shock. Fred was quite purposefully looking away, drawing in deep but slightly shaky breaths.

After a few long minutes of strained silence, Ron finally spoke up again. "For the record, we did have a chaperone. He elected to stay at the bar."

And that was all the clues they needed. "You asked Mundungus to bring you out here?" George asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well...he was entrusted with Harry last summer, wasn't he?" It was a lousy argument, because they all remembered quite well what had happened when Mundungus had been left to watch out for Harry. Ron knew it; he had lowered his voice and clearly run out of steam.

"Come on. We'll walk you back to the Leaky Cauldron." Fred said it softly, managing to keep most of the emotion out of his voice, though clearly declaring an end to the argument. He never addressed Ron's last accusation.

George put out the closed sign and locked the shop before they began a tense walk back. Fred lead the way, though he kept glancing back as though he expected them to make a run for it. Ron was brooding. George seemed to have his thoughts occupied elsewhere. Harry observed it all; none of them spoke.

When they stepped into the Leaky Cauldron, Fred headed for the bar and confronted Mundungus. George steered Harry and Ron toward the fireplace, so they couldn't hear most of what looked to be a rather heated conversation—at least on Fred's part. Mundungus seemed rather befuddled by the whole thing.

After a few moments, Mundungus clamored off of his stool. "Goodnight, boys," he bid loudly before heading in the general direction of the front door.

Shaking his head slightly, Fred came back to them. He cast a slightly concerned look at George and moved closer to him. Harry noticed then that the abnormally quiet twin was gripping the urn with the floo powder so tightly that his knuckles had gone white.

"You okay with this?" Fred asked him in a low tone.

"Yeah. Sure. I'll be fine." George's smile was even more fake than Fred's had been earlier in the street. He was clearly worried about this. Nevertheless, George stepped into the hearth and declared, "St. Mungo's," and then he was gone.

Ron turned to Fred with an equally phony smile. "Well, thanks for the escort. We'll just be heading back now."

"Yes, you will. And I'm coming with you."

Ron rolled his eyes, sighed heavily, and stepped away from him into the hearth. "The Burrow," he stated clearly. Then he too was gone.

Which left Harry alone with Fred. "He's having a hard time," he said impulsively. Fred looked at him in surprise and he stuttered, "I just...I know he's being a pain for you. He's having a hard time with everything."

Fred shook his head in frustration. "He's putting you at risk. You didn't have to come out here with him."

"Yes I did," Harry said softly. "He's always been there for me. And, for the record, I wanted out too."

Fred sighed. "I know you guys are tired of being cooped up, and I can just imagine how George and I would have reacted to this a few years ago. But we—all of us—just want to keep you safe."

Harry gazed at him for a moment. At some point, Fred had grown up. A few years back, he had doubted that he would ever view the twins as responsible adults. But Fred had changed since he left Hogwarts. Or perhaps, just since Percy had disappeared.

Harry felt he could, and _should_, trust him with his concerns. "Ron's been having nightmares," he said suddenly. Fred glanced at him sharply, and he went on. "Bad ones...worse now than before Percy was found. He never wants to talk about them or anything, but I have been waking him up, and it's just that I won't be there now..." he rambled.

Fred bit his lip, not seeming all that surprised. "I'll keep an eye on him. Thanks, Harry. You're a good friend."

"I'm trying," he responded softly. "I'm used to being on the other end. Ron's the one who's a good friend."

* * *

As George approached Percy's room, he recognized the two figures outside with little difficulty. One was Tonks, hair a bright pink today, no doubt on guard duty. Standing beside her, Bill's hair rather clashed. It probably would have been good material for at least a few jokes had George not been so preoccupied. 

He stopped a few yards from them and just stood, waiting to be noticed. It was almost eerie how Bill looked up almost immediately, seeming to sense his presence.

"Hey, Georgie."

George hated that nickname. The fact that he didn't react to it now apparently clued Bill in to his emotional state, because his older brother moved away from the door and came to him. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. Sure."

Bill looked doubtful. "If you aren't ready for this..."

"No, I'm ready. Let's go." He started moving, hoping to convince himself of the words.

Bill caught his shoulder and turned him back. "Okay, but...try not to give him a hard time, all right?"

"I won't," George said, a little hurt that Bill thought he would be a jerk to Percy right now.

But then, hadn't he been worried about that himself?

What was it Fred had said? _You love him,_ he reminded himself. _Hang onto that and _only_ that. Don't be angry..._

As it turned out, he needn't have worried. When he saw Percy in that hospital bed, looking almost shy and as nervous as he was, he felt a rush of emotion. But none of it was anger.

"George?" Percy asked with a timid smile.

George had never really been one to think before he acted. With a jerky nod of confirmation, he went with his instincts. He crossed to the bed in a few steps and put his arms around his brother.

He was purposefully gentle, knowing that Percy could very well freak out and push him away. But George was shaking, and he soon found himself clinging in a way he'd never done with anyone but Fred.

He didn't have to be looking at Bill to know that his big brother's eyebrows had undoubtedly shot up in shock.

As for Percy, he stiffened initially. But after a moment he shifted to hold George carefully, patting his back a bit awkwardly.

After a few silent moments George forced himself to pull away. He noticed his hands were still trembling and quickly clasped them together. "Sorry," he said weakly.

"It's...okay," Percy responded softly with a shy smile.

Bill still looked rather surprised but very pleased. "I'll leave you guys alone," he announced, though he waited for Percy to nod before he headed out and closed the door behind him.

There was an awkward silence in which George had time to be shocked by his own behavior. He realized now just how worried he had been about his brother. It had been clouded by conflicting feelings, and he hadn't really let himself feel his fear all summer. But seeing him, now, in this state, had finally broken through all of his pain and confusion. It might be back tomorrow, but for the moment he decided that he should just not question what he was feeling. When he tried to name it he realized that it was a kind of pure love—something he hadn't felt for this brother in a long time.

Percy was quiet, clearly waiting for him to take the lead.

"I'm sorry about—" he broke off, gesturing between them, referencing the clingy hug. "It's just that...I've missed you." And he meant it.

There was that shy smile again, though it was a little strained. "I wish I could tell you the same. I'm sure I missed you..."

"Back when you remembered who I was?" George said lightly, determined to put Percy's worries to rest, and deciding the best way to go about that was to settle into his normal easy-going persona. "It's okay. I always annoyed you, so you probably didn't miss me too much. I'm sure you didn't miss our pranks."

The tension on Percy's face eased a bit with George's mood. "You and Fred?"

"Oh, yeah. Twin terrors—at least that's what _all_ our big brothers used to call us. Our professors probably called us that a few times, as well," he mused.

Percy laughed. "You know, Fred didn't really seem like the prankster type."

George sobered slightly. "Yeah, well...he's grown up some lately." Trying to regain the jovial mood he added, "But don't worry; I can still be a brat. In fact, I'd be happy to. It might help you remember me."

Percy smiled. "It might. Somehow, I don't think I'm going to have as much trouble telling the two of you apart as I thought I would."

"We'll help you there if you need it," George said reassuringly.

They talked for a bit longer, the atmosphere between them now amazingly comfortable—more so than it had been in a decade. Even once he was past the initial rush of emotion, George still found himself truly enjoying Percy's company. When Bill eventually stuck his head in to tell him it was time to go, he impulsively gave him another hug as he stood. This one, Percy returned equally.

Bill hugged him as well before they left, and it was clear that the three of them finally had a good feeling about the way all of this would work out. Perhaps they might actually be able to be a family again.

* * *

tbc 


	6. Stumbling Blocks

All the King's Men

By Perse

Chapter 6: Stumbling Blocks

* * *

Ron studied the odd patterns in the tiled floor as he trailed Bill towards the ward of St. Mungo's where Percy was recuperating.

After his and Harry's unscheduled trip to Diagon Alley, Mum had let him know on no uncertain terms that he was incredibly lucky that she was allowing him out to do this. And that was only because it was more for Percy's benefit than his. He was the last one to see Percy, and everyone wanted it to happen before they brought him home tomorrow. Other than this, he wouldn't be leaving the house until he headed back to school next month.

Ron didn't see this as much of a punishment. He didn't think he would have been allowed out of the house anyway, whether he and Harry had taken their little excursion or not. Nevertheless, he was in a rather lousy mood.

All day, he had been excited (if also a bit anxious) about seeing Percy. Now though, he had a sudden strong desire to run away.

He wondered if it was obvious, for a moment later Bill reached back and pulled him forward, anchoring him to his side with an arm around his shoulders. "Relax. It'll be fine," he said quietly, steering him towards Percy's room.

An assistant Healer was slowly walking down the hallway towards them, assisting a figure with a familiar red head. "Hey, you're up!" Bill called in greeting, releasing Ron to go to Percy with a smile.

Ron stopped and simply stood, watching. Percy smiled tremulously, though his face was pinched with pain. Bill took over from the Healer, supporting Percy back into his room. Ron followed, a bit overwhelmed. Percy looked so fragile. He was very shaky, requiring a good deal of Bill's assistance to get back into his bed. Ron knew that it was largely due to the nerve damage done by repeated use of the Cruciatus curse.

Ron's only experience with the Cruciatus curse was by proxy—through Harry. One night late in 4th year, after the last task, Ron had woken to Harry's screams. Nightmares weren't unusual for Harry, but this was different. It sounded as if he were in great physical pain. After Ron had woken him, as he'd been trying to soothe him, Harry had explained that he'd been reliving the memory of being cursed. He'd described it as best he could with disjointed words and winces. Ron had rubbed his friend's trembling back and cringed at the mere description.

He cringed now, with the realization that his brother had been put through that over…and over…and over…

He started to feel a bit lightheaded. It made it difficult to think straight. Later, he would blame that feeling for the colossal mess he was about to make of things.

For he couldn't handle thinking of Percy in that way. He frantically reached for something else to think about. He went back to Harry. Unfortunately, connecting Harry and Percy in his mind made him think of the letter. He could quote the damnable thing word for word right now if someone asked him to…

By the time Bill excused himself and left them alone to get reacquainted, Ron was in an angry kind of haze. He couldn't deal with Percy being weak and smiling at him in that nervous way. He could, however, let himself feel the anger that he had just reawakened.

Still, they started off well enough. Percy said a soft, "Hi, Ron," and Ron managed a jerky nod and a "Hi Percy."

Then they went silent, staring uncomfortably at each other for a moment before they took to looking anywhere else. Ron kept his mouth shut, afraid of what might come out if he opened it. Percy eventually cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well…it's good to see you. I suppose I have a complete set now; if only I can keep you all straight!" he joked weakly.

Ron snorted before he could stop himself, but managed to avoid saying anything when Percy looked confused. Instead he said, "Uh, yeah. Not quite complete though; you haven't seen Charlie."

"Not in the flesh, no," Percy amended. "But he'll be coming home soon, right?"

Ron nodded dumbly. He must have looked surprised, for Percy asked, "What?"

He should have kept his mouth shut. Instead he answered honestly, "You said 'home' like it's a good thing. Like you miss it."

Percy was even more confused now. "Is that…unusual?" he asked uncertainly.

"Well, yeah," Ron said, then caught himself. "Maybe we should talk about something else."

There were a few minutes of silence as Percy watched him, then tried to accept it and move on to another topic. "Um…Bill tells me you have a really good friend who will probably be around a lot. Harry, wasn't it?"

There were very few things he could have said that would have produced a worse reaction than that did.

Ron bristled, pulling himself to full height. "I don't think you'll be spending much time together," he said coolly.

"Oh." Percy, unfortunately, misinterpreted the reaction. "Did you have a fight?" he ventured.

"No. I'm sure _I'll_ be spending plenty of time with Harry. He's practically a member of the family; I think Mum would adopt him if she could. But I doubt _you_ would get along with him."

"Why?" Percy asked innocently, out of sorts now.

"Because you…you…" Ron stuttered angrily, but paused. The look of alarm and confusion on Percy's face calmed him a bit as he realized that his brother had no idea what he was talking about. It also flooded him with a wave of guilt. His brother was hurt and had been through hell. He couldn't take Percy to task for things he didn't remember doing, and even if he could, this was not the time for it.

But he couldn't just let it go, either.

After a moment he stuttered, "I can't do this. I should go." With that he turned abruptly, away from Percy's thunderstruck expression, and made for the door.

Bill was a short distance away talking to the Healer. When he caught sight of Ron stumbling from the room, he quickly came over. "What happened?" he demanded.

Ron shook his head, unable to speak.

Bill grabbed him, not all that gently. "Ron, talk to me."

"I couldn't…I wasn't ready for this. I'm sorry," he finally choked out, which of course was no explanation at all.

Bill apparently decided that he would get nothing out of Ron and that he should go check on their vulnerable brother. To Ron he ordered, "Wait right here." Ron made no acknowledgement, so Bill grasped his chin. "Ronald, look at me. Do _not_ leave this ward without me. Understand?"

"Yes," Ron bit out.

Bill released him and hurried back into Percy's room. Ron stared after him, then glanced around self-consciously before practically collapsing back against the wall. He shut his eyes tightly against the sudden hot pressure that threatened tears and drew shaky breaths as he waited for Bill to return.

* * *

Molly was in the midst of orchestrating dinner preparations when Ron arrived back in the Burrow's fireplace. She came to meet him, drying her hands on a dish towel and smiling in anticipation of him being in a better mood after finally getting to see his brother.

She was thus surprised when he looked absolutely miserable. "Ron?" she asked in concern.

He looked up and met her eyes for only a moment before blowing past her and heading for the stairs. She turned to look after him, calling, "Ron!"

"Let him go," a soft voice said from behind her. She turned back to face her eldest as Bill stepped away from the hearth. "I think he needs some space right now."

"What happened?" she demanded.

"It didn't go well," Bill said simply, walking past her to sink tiredly into a nearby chair.

She, of course, was not about to be content with that answer. But before she could question him further, her youngest came bounding down the last few stairs.

"What's wrong with Ron?" Ginny asked, stepping towards them. "He practically mowed me down on the stairs." She stopped short as she observed their faces and fell silent.

Bill sighed. "I don't know, exactly. Ron was so upset that I didn't get much out of him. Percy was mostly confused. He said Ron just went a bit nutters on him, and wasn't making much sense. Nothing Percy understood, anyway. I think Ron's harboring a lot of anger…and probably fear. More than any of us realized."

"I was worried about Fred and George," Molly confessed softly. "I knew they were angry. But Ron…"

Ginny glanced between them before speaking up. "You know about the letter, right?"

"What letter?"

"It was back before Christmas last school year—Percy owled Ron a letter. Congratulated him on being a Prefect and following in _his_ footsteps, rather than Fred and George's."

Bill grimaced a bit, but said, "Okay. Well…that's a bit arrogant, not as if Charlie and I weren't prefects as well, but…"

"Oh, that's not all. There was some advice about placing loyalties with the Ministry instead of Dumbledore, because Dumbledore wouldn't be around all that much longer, and trusting Umbridge because she was really a 'delightful woman.' But none of that bothered him like the bits about the family and Harry."

Molly winced in anticipation. "What about us and Harry?"

"Something about how fortunate he was to have been severed from the family ties. And Harry…well, he told Ron that he should really get away from Harry. Suggested that if he was afraid because Harry was a bit unbalanced and perhaps violent, then he should seek help from Umbridge."

Bill groaned. Molly felt a bit of anger rise, but pushed it back. "You read this?" she asked Ginny.

"Oh no. Ron was so upset, he tore it into itty-bitty pieces and tossed it in the fire. Hermione told me about it later."

"He was trying to encourage Ron to follow his path—renounce the family and the Order, cut ties to Dumbledore…" Bill mused, shaking his head.

"And Harry," Ginny threw in. "I'm pretty sure that was the final straw."

"We all have a lot to work out with Percy," Molly said. "But the rest of us have managed to do it internally; Ron is going to have to learn that as well. After all, Percy isn't that person any more." Even as she said it, she knew it wasn't true. Percy's change was forced, and none of them could predict what might happen if and when he started to remember. But she wanted to believe that Percy had changed; she needed to believe that in her interactions with him now.

The fact that neither of them called her on it suggested they felt the same.

"It would be better if Harry was here," Ginny mused after a few minutes of silence. "Ron would talk to Harry."

Molly rather agreed with that statement. But Percy was coming home tomorrow, and it probably wasn't a good idea to add Harry to the mix right then. Ron would simply have to wait to see Harry. Perhaps he would be willing to talk to one of his siblings.

She sighed, and turned her attention back to the two children with her. Ginny smiled slightly. Her precious little girl; she'd been such a blessing through all of this.

She then looked to Bill, who was currently slumped in his chair looking only half-awake. As she studied him closer, she realized that he looked a bit pale and exhausted. With a gentle hand, she tilted his head up as if her were her little 5-year-old boy again. He met her eyes, and immediately read what she was thinking. "I'm fine, Mum."

"Don't lie to your mother, William," she said quietly.

He snorted softly, but amended, "I'll be fine, Mum. I'm just tired."

She studied him for a moment, but he held her gaze. Finally she gave in, "At least stay here for the night."

"I'll stay here for the next few nights, to help Percy with the transition…if you'll have me, of course."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Molly responded seriously, though she knew he'd been kidding.

He stood and hugged her lightly. "You can't worry about us all, you know," he said softly, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before letting go. "There are just too many of us for that," he added with a teasing smile as he headed for the stairs.

"And whatever would you do without each other, hmm?" she shot back.

"We'd be lost, Mum. We'd be lost," he conceded as he bid her goodnight.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Ministry, Arthur had settled back into the routine he'd perfected over the summer. He was there, and doing his job, but his mind was with his family.

He was preparing to leave after a long day when he had an unexpected visitor.

Most people still referred to him as Fudge's new assistant, but Arthur didn't see him as all that new. Of course, it had been the longest summer of his life, and Thomas Barnwell had been hired just after Percy's disappearance.

Truth be told, he had a couple of other references for the young man who had taken Percy's job. But he was far too mature to say any of them aloud.

Needless to say, this was not a terribly welcome visitor. Nevertheless, Arthur sat his briefcase back down and offered him a seat.

Thomas remained standing. "I won't keep you, Mr. Weasley. The Minister just asked me to speak with you. He wishes to extend his good thoughts and to be kept abreast of Percy's progress," he said formally.

Arthur had to bite his lip. Of course it was too trivial a matter for Fudge to bother with in person, he thought sarcastically. Percy was just his personal assistant who'd sworn loyalty to him and possibly been abducted in the line of his work. Aloud he stated coolly, "Inform the Minister that Percy is doing well and should make a full recovery."

Thomas nodded slightly. "I am sure he will be pleased to hear it. If I may ask, has the boy recovered any of his memory yet?"

_The boy?_ He couldn't be much older than Percy himself. Briefly, Arthur wondered what was so special about this one that made Fudge want to keep him close. Who was he related to? What secrets might he hold?

To Thomas he said, "Not yet. But I'm certain it is only a matter of time."

"I'm sure you are right, Mr. Weasley. I will tell the Minister that you are optimistic."

He strongly disliked this young man with his stiff formalities and his unwavering devotion to Fudge and the job. Unfortunately, this young man reminded him of Percy less than a year ago.

He didn't want to go there. "I need to get back to my son," he said pointedly.

Thomas tilted his head in acquiescence. "Of course. Do let us know if there is anything we can do."

Nodding curtly, Arthur gathered his things and pushed past him out of the office.

* * *

George awoke disoriented.

It was a bit strange to be back in their old room. Nothing had been moved—the same posters still graced the walls, the little hiding places still held the same tricks. There was an almost eerie sense that the summer had never happened.

But it wasn't just the room; something else had woken him. He wasn't sure what. But he'd always had a 6th sense when it came to his twin, and it didn't take long to figure out that Fred wasn't in his bed.

He settled back to wait. A few minutes later, the light from the hallway lit Fred as he reentered the room.

"What are you doing?" George asked.

Fred started a bit, surprised to find him awake. But he recovered and closed the door before heading back to his bed. "Checking on Ron," he stated.

George blinked at him. "And what is our baby brother doing at 2 am? No, wait, let me guess. Sleeping?"

Despite the darkness, he caught the impact of the look Fred shot his way.

"Harry's worried about him. Says he's been having nightmares," he confided after a moment.

George absorbed that with a small "Oh." He wasn't all that surprised; he knew Ron was having a particularly tough time with everything at the moment. He hadn't known that Fred had decided to shoulder responsibility for him. "Is he all right?" he asked.

"He's quiet for now," Fred responded with a sigh.

"And how many times have you already checked on him tonight?" George asked softly.

"A couple," Fred responded vaguely, lying back and settling into his pillow.

George watched his dark form for a moment, wondering if Fred had slept at all. Then he lay back as well. "I'll go next time, if you want," he offered.

Fred didn't answer him, and George assumed the conversation was closed for the moment. He was drifting back to sleep a few minutes later when Fred suddenly spoke again.

"What use would we be in a fight?"

A bit fuzzy, George blinked in his direction before saying a confused, "What?"

"We've always had this completely carefree take on life, which was great while it lasted. But Ron's right, George. We'd be no help in a battle."

George pushed himself upright again, trying to wake up for what was apparently going to be a serious conversation. "Fred—" He rubbed at his eyes, trying to wake himself further and thinking that it was entirely too early for this.

"I mean, what the hell good are we if all we can do is watch the rest of our family die?"

"Nobody's died!" George exclaimed with a bit of alarm. He didn't like the direction this was taking. "What brought this on?" he questioned. "You know better than to take to heart the things that Ron says when he's upset."

Fred shook his head. "He's not a child; no matter what I may have said. He meant it. And he was right."

George sputtered, "It's not as if we're incompetent! We might not be great fighters but we wouldn't be useless."

Silence. Then, "Maybe." It was doubtful and lacked any conviction.

George sighed.

"I just wish we had put a little more effort into our studies. We wouldn't be so unprepared if we hadn't goofed off so much."

George gazed at his twin's form in the darkness. "There was no reason for us to be preparing for war."

"Yes, there was. It was there from Harry and Ron's first year! And it is certainly there now."

With that, Fred turned over and at least gave the impression that he was trying to sleep. George stared at his back for a moment, then lay back once more without a word.

Because really, there was nothing he could say to that. However, one thought kept running through his mind—he wished they were back in school, even if they had been irresponsible. Adulthood was highly overrated.

* * *

tbc

Author's note: I want to take a minute to thank all of my reviewers. It means a lot to know that you are reading and to see your comments. Please keep them coming!


	7. Homecoming

All the King's Men

By Perse

Chapter 7: Homecoming

oOo

The kitchen seemed somehow smaller now that all the kids were bigger. Or perhaps it was just that he was nervous, and thus the space felt too small. He tugged at his collar as he glanced around the breakfast table at his assembled family.

Arthur never thought that he would be nervous about one of his kids coming home. But then, he never would have imagined how far the situation with Percy would go. Truth be told, he was afraid now of what memories might be sparked by this house and the family atmosphere.

He'd agreed to let Bill handle the transport, since Percy still felt most comfortable with him. Moody, Tonks, and Lupin were playing guard.

While there was an air of excitement amongst the children and Molly, he felt some of the same tension coming from them as well. Nevertheless, they had all gathered for breakfast, preparing for the big day.

Suddenly, Arthur noticed something amiss. He counted his family members.

He'd been so preoccupied, he'd missed something rather important.

"Where's Ron?"

oOo

Harry was startled when he heard the front door open, long before Remus was supposed to be back. He abandoned his breakfast and pulled out his wand, cautiously exiting the kitchen.

A few moments later, he breathed a sigh of relief and lowered the wand. "Ron, you scared me."

Ron had the grace to look a bit sheepish. "Sorry. I didn't want to call out, not knowing who all was here."

"It's pretty much just me. Someone—I think it was Shacklebolt—is in one of the upstairs rooms if I need him, but he's been on a mission for the last few days and he's exhausted. I doubt we'll wake him." Past his initial surprise now, Harry narrowed his eyes at Ron. "What are you doing here? I thought Percy was coming home this morning."

There was a pause, then, "He is."

Harry simply stared at him, waiting for him to explain. Ron took to staring at the floor, and said nothing. Eventually Harry said, "Ron. Does your family know where you are?"

Ron shrugged guiltily. "I left a note."

"Ron," he sighed. "You're making a bit of a habit of this, you know." He studied his friend. "I thought you were looking forward to Percy coming home."

"I thought so, too. Until I met with him in the hospital the other day."

Again Harry waited for more of an explanation, but none was forthcoming. This was like pulling teeth. Trying to make his friend more comfortable, he changed the subject. "You want some breakfast? I was about halfway through mine."

"Sorry. And, sure. I'm starved."

Harry led him back to the kitchen and got him a bowl. Ron chose a cereal from the cabinet and grabbed the milk before sitting down. Ron was as at home here as Harry was; he'd spent nearly as much time here. They sat in a comfortable silence as they ate, and Harry observed his friend. He wondered if Ron had slept since he'd seen him last. He looked as if he hadn't. There were dark circles under his eyes, which lacked any natural spark of life.

"You look tired," Harry ventured, thinking it perhaps the understatement of the year.

"Haven't been sleeping well," Ron confessed in a mumble.

Harry debated the merits of pushing for more detail there, but ultimately decided against it. Ron really did look exhausted. "Why don't you go upstairs and get some sleep?" he suggested instead.

Ron hesitated, seeming wary.

And, though he wasn't sure it was the best idea, Harry nevertheless offered, "I've got a little Dreamless Sleep potion leftover, if you'd like."

That eased some of the tension. "Yeah, that would be great," Ron admitted.

So they finished their breakfasts and then made their way up to their room. Harry fished out the potion vial as Ron sat down on his bed and pulled off his shoes. He handed the potion to his friend, watched as Ron swallowed it in one gulp, then took the empty vial back as his friend settled into the pillows. Harry simply watched him for a moment, then felt compelled to say something before Ron drifted off. "Ron…I'm here. I mean, if you want to talk to me, whenever…I'm here."

"I know. I'm just really tired right now," he said faintly.

"Okay." Harry let it go for the moment, hoping Ron would take him up on the offer later.

Ron fell asleep quickly, letting Harry know that he hadn't overestimated his exhaustion. He retrieved a blanket from the closet and covered his friend. Then he quietly left the room and headed downstairs. He didn't think it was his place to call the Weasleys behind Ron's back—he really wanted his friend to trust him right now. So he would wait for Remus to get back.

oOo

Percy had been a little fuzzy on apparating. Bill had explained patiently and he had tried, but in the end he wasn't sure if it had been his doing or Bill's hand on his arm. Either way, they were now standing on a patch of green land, in front of a quaint little house.

Unfortunately, the house was swimming. "Whoa," he said, clutching at his older brother as a wave of dizziness hit him.

Bill grabbed hold of him, supporting most of his weight. "Easy there. Hang on, it'll pass."

Behind them, three pops signified the arrival of their escorts.

"He all right?" Moody's gruff voice asked.

"He'll be fine. The Healer said this would probably happen with the apparating."

Moody grunted noncommittally, moving around them towards the house. "Still the best way to travel."

Tonks stepped up and took Percy's other arm, giving him an encouraging smile. "Are you ready?"

Percy nodded. He didn't risk speaking—he feared he might throw up.

Bill wrapped an arm around his back and urged him forward. Slowly, they made their way to the house.

Percy tried to take it all in. His first impression was that he really loved the setting. It seemed quite peaceful. The garden was well-kept and the nearby fields large and lusciously green. A lone chicken wandered into their path, cocked its head at them, then seemed unimpressed by their presence and continued on.

They approached a small door on the side of the house. Bill knocked briefly before opening it, ushering them inside.

It was a homey kitchen. He took in the room before he looked to his family, all lined up on the other side of the table. They all looked a bit harried. The smiles were big, but seemed forced.

Bill picked up on it, too. "What's going on?" he asked cautiously.

They all exchanged glances. Eventually Arthur said hesitantly, "Ron's gone missing."

Bill's grip on Percy was suddenly quite tight. "Missing?"

"Oh, not missing like," he gestured vaguely at Percy, then realized what he was doing and cleared his throat. "…I mean, he left a note. It just didn't say where he was going. But, it will be fine. Right now, we're just happy to have you back, Percy."

Percy tried to force a smile of his own as his father clasped his arm. The greeting was sincere, and he had no doubt that most of them were glad to see him. But the fact that Ron was gone spoke louder than words.

He was passed off to his mother, but he noticed over her shoulder that Arthur went to speak seriously with Remus. Remus left shortly after that, as Ginny was hugging Percy.

They were trying to act as if this wasn't cause for alarm, but the underlying tension was palpable.

He could even feel it from George, who managed the most lighthearted attitude as he hugged him and then steered him out of the kitchen to the family room. On one hand Percy was quite grateful, for he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand, and he sank into the couch with relief. But he knew he was being purposefully distracted from the crisis.

He would have liked a tour, but he'd gotten a look at the stairs and knew he wasn't up for it at the moment. Fred and Ginny joined him and George and got comfortable. And while Percy was still distracted by Ron, they easily managed to create a family atmosphere. They carried the conversation, letting him contribute when he wanted or just sit back and observe. He found himself relaxing and even laughing along with them. Their parents and Bill drifted in and out, throwing in comments. His Mum kept asking him if he needed anything.

Some time later, after Molly had brought him three glasses of water, he discovered a problem with not knowing the layout of the house.

He reached for Ginny, who was closest, and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. When she turned he asked quietly, "Uh…where's the bathroom?"

"Oh, sorry…down that hall, first door on your left. Do you…er…need help?"

"I'll manage," he said with a small laugh. She returned his smile, though he felt her watching him as he made his way down the hall, probably making sure he didn't fall on his face.

But he managed to make it on his own. When he was done, he reopened the door to begin the trek back to the family room. But he paused, hearing purposefully quiet voices just down the hall. Making a decision, he made his way towards them and stopped a short distance from the open door.

"Remus called," Arthur was saying softly.

"He's there?" came a voice he easily identified as Bill. Percy didn't need any hints to know that they must be talking about Ron.

Arthur must have nodded. "I'm going to go get him."

"No, Dad. You stay here with the family; I'll go."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't mind, really. Just let me tell Percy."

Bill cam into the hallway then, and nearly ran into Percy. He recovered himself gracefully and said, "Hey, Perce. Listen…"

Percy smiled at him wanly. "It's okay, I heard. Go on."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine." But as Bill started to move away he called, "Bill?"

"Yeah?"

"That wasn't some random breakdown the other day. Ron's mad at me about something specific," he said softly.

"No. Well, yes, but…it's really nothing big. He's moody. It will pass." Bill placed a hand on his shoulder. "Try not to worry about it, all right? Go back and sit down. You're supposed to be resting."

Percy expected that Bill could feel him trembling, so he tried to lighten the situation a bit. "Yes mother," he said teasingly.

Bill gave him a mock glare as he turned to go.

Percy painfully made his way back to the family room, where Fred jumped up to help him back to the couch. He tried to smile at the twin, though his thoughts were not bright.

Something was happening, or _had_ happened, between him and his youngest brother. Something not at all good, something they were hiding from him.

And if they were hiding that…what else was he not being told?

oOo

Remus expressed some disappointment in Harry for his failure to call the Weasleys immediately.

It left Harry frowning as he climbed the stairs to wake Ron. He had hoped Remus would understand the need to put a friend first. Harry loved the Weasleys, but it was Ron who was his best friend. He had also hoped for a bit more time, for he thought Ron needed more than a few uninterrupted hours of sleep. But Remus had insisted that his family was worried and that they had been through enough.

He slipped into the room and over to the bed. Ron actually looked peaceful at the moment. As much as he hated to do it, Harry sat down on the edge of the bed and put a gentle hand on Ron's back.

"Ron," he called softly.

It took a few more calls before Ron blinked up at him sleepily. "Hmm…Harry? Whas goin' on?"

"Remus called your parents. Someone's on their way to get you." He paused as that sunk into a groggy brain and then added quietly, "I'm sorry. I wanted to let you sleep a bit more."

"'s okay. Not your fault. I knew it wouldn't take too long for them to find me," Ron said as he hauled himself into a sitting position, staring about blearily. He hair stuck up in various directions, making Harry smile despite himself.

Ron gave him a confused look. "What's so funny?"

Harry shook his head, but didn't get the chance to answer. There was a light knock on the door, then Remus entered just before Bill. Ron visibly tensed, suddenly seeming much more awake.

Bill rubbed a hand across his face. He almost looked even more exhausted than Ron had, and Harry was getting a rather bad feeling about this whole situation. He stared at his youngest brother for a moment, seeming to stew over his words. Then he sighed and said simply, "Let's just go. We can talk about this later with Mum and Dad."

Ron hesitated, then, "No."

"No?" Bill repeated incredulously.

"I mean…I would really prefer to stay here for now, if I could," Ron responded softly, looking down.

Harry glanced between the brothers nervously, then looked to Remus. The older man shook his head, telling Harry not to interfere.

Bill, meanwhile, had taken on a look that rather reminded Harry of Snape on one of his worse days. "You selfish little prat—" he caught himself, seeming to realize what he was saying, and looked away for a moment.

Ron had paled. Harry knew his own eyes were big as saucers. Even Remus looked a bit shocked.

Once he'd taken a breath Bill continued, "How could you do this? After all this family has been through, how could you _disappear_?"

"I…I left a note."

"Oh, yes. That was terribly thoughtful of you. Do you have any idea—"

Remus reached out to lay a calming hand on Bill's shoulder. Bill tensed, but then relaxed a bit as he turned to look at the older man. He closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded to Remus that he was all right.

Ron watched all of this without a word, in his defense or otherwise.

Finally Bill moved closer, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry stood, and Bill sat down in his place before saying, "Look, I am sorry that you're having such a difficult time with this. But you are only making things worse, for all of us." He gently grasped Ron's chin and forced eye contact. "You are going to come back with me, and we are going to work all of this out together. But you don't take any of this out on Percy right now, all right? You want to yell at someone, you come yell at me. Deal?"

Ron studied his brother's eyes for a moment, eventually nodding wordlessly. With a slightly defeated look, he reached to pull on his shoes and stood.

"Thanks Harry," he said softly a moment later as they walked down the stairs.

Harry nodded. "I'll see you soon, okay? Take care of yourself."

Remus put a hand on his shoulder as they watched the brothers walk out the front door and into the sunlight.

The whole scene had been rather unnerving for Harry. Ron just wasn't the contrite type. It was as if he suddenly didn't have any fight left in him. And Bill…admittedly, he didn't know the eldest Weasley boy all that well. But from what he did know, the blow-up was rather out of character. Things should have been better once they had Percy back in one piece. How was it that they seemed to be getting worse?

oOo

Percy awoke on the couch. The room was quiet, and it took him a moment to get his bearings. He knew immediately that he wasn't in his hospital bed, for the surface he was lying on was too soft. He rubbed at his eyes and turned his head to find one of the twins in a nearby chair, reading a rather hefty-looking book that looked like something about magical business management. No one else seemed to be around, making him wonder how long he had been out.

He studied a moment more before venturing, "Fred?"

His brother looked up, then broke into a gentle smile as he put the book aside. "Hey, Perce. Mum's fixing lunch, if you're hungry. I could bring you a plate in here," he offered.

"No thanks; I'd like to eat with the family…if you could give me a hand?"

"Sure." Fred came to his side, waited for him to sit up, then helped him stand. He kept a hand on Percy's arm as they made their way into the kitchen. Mum was at the counter, standing before a copious collection of sandwiches. George was nearby, overseeing the magical place-settings. As they came in, both offered them brilliant smiles. Fred saw Percy to a chair, then stepped away to help move the food to the table.

"Let me call your sister and father and we'll get started," Molly said with a smile, heading for the stairs.

Percy returned her smile, then turned to ease himself into the chair.

Suddenly, he felt a rush of panic. The room seemed hot and he felt lightheaded. His vision swam…

Then he was looking at a chair, similar but definitely not the one in his parents' kitchen. This room was dark.

A second later he was being roughly forced into the chair. His head hurt, and his vision was blurry. He felt his arms and legs being tied to the wood, but he could not summon the strength to resist. He looked up, squinting until he could make out a hooded figure looking down at him…

As abruptly as it had come, the strange vision was gone. He was out of the dark room, and on the kitchen floor.

One of the twins—at the moment he couldn't tell which one—was holding him. The other was nearby, calling for help.

"I'm okay," he tried to tell them. But when he tried to sit up he found he couldn't do it without his brother's support.

"What's going on?" a new voice demanded, and Percy looked up to see that Bill had returned.

As his oldest brother moved towards them, Percy caught sight of an additional red head standing in the doorway.

Ron.

The boy looked terrified by the scene. Their eyes met, and held. There was a wealth of emotion there and, for the moment at least, anger was not among them.

"Percy?" Bill broke his connection to Ron by taking his face in his hands, forcing his focus to him. "What happened?" he asked urgently.

Percy thought about that for a moment, a moment during which his parents rushed back into the room and began demanding an answer to the same question. Finally he said, "From what the Healer told me to expect…I think I had a flashback."

oOo

to be continued


End file.
